Wizard and Demigod: Double Trouble
by PassionBeautyFreedom
Summary: When a prophecy mentions a Son of Lightning, Percy, Annabeth and Grover save a kid from a Hydra in Britain. As soon as Harry enters Camp Half-Blood, he becomes entangled in a prophecy. Join Harry Potter as he tries to juggle his wizard and demigod responsibilities. Set in Goblet of Fire and after Titan's Curse. Ship will be Harry/Annabeth and Percy/Someone (Poll). My debut fic.
1. The New Demigod

**Disclaimer: I have taken control of HP and PJ. No disclaimer. (You noticed sarcasm?)**

Chapter 1 - The New Demigod

"Bring it on, Pinecone Face!"

Percy raised Riptide, but before he could defend himself, Thalia yelled, and a blast of lightning came down from the sky, hit her spear like a lightning rod, and slammed into his chest.

He fell down. There was a nauseating burning smell; it was his clothes.

"Thalia!" Chiron said. "That is enough!"

Percy got to his feet and raised his arms. The entire creek rose. It swirled up, hundreds of gallons of water in a massive icy funnel cloud.

"Percy!" Chiron pleaded. "Don't!"

Percy was about to hurl the cloud at Thalia when something appeared in the woods. Due to Percy's distraction, the water splashed back into the creek-bed. Thalia turned.

Something was approaching. It was shrouded in a murky green mist, but as it got closer, the campers and Hunters gasped.

"This is impossible," Chiron said. He sounded nervous. "It... she has never left the attic. Never."

And yet, the withered mummy that held the Oracle shuffled forward until she stood in the centre of the group. Mist curled around everyone's feet, turning the snow a sickly shade of green.

No one dared move. Then her voice hissed inside Percy's head. Apparently, everyone could hear it, because several people clutched their hands over their ears.

 _I am the spirit of Delphi,_ the voice said. _Speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python._

The Oracle regarded Percy with its cold, dead eyes. Then she turned unmistakably toward Zoë Nightshade. _Approach, Seeker, and ask._

Zoë swallowed. "What must I do to help my goddess?"

The Oracle's mouth opened, and green mist poured out. Percy saw the vague image of a mountain, and a girl standing at the barren peak. It was Artemis, but she was wrapped in chains, fettered to the rocks. She was kneeling, her hands raised as if to fend off an attacker, and it looked like she was in pain. The Oracle spoke:

 _Six shall go west to the goddess in chains,_

 _One shall be lost in the land without rain,_

 _The Son of Lightning will be engulfed by the Son of the Sea,_

 _Though powerful, he will emerge to be._

 _The bane of Olympus shows the trail,_

 _Campers and Hunters combined prevail,_

 _The Titan's curse must one withstand,_

 _And one shall perish by a parent's hand._

Then, as they were watching, the mist swirled and retreated like a great green serpent into the mummy's mouth. The Oracle sat down on a rock and became as still as she'd been in the attic as if she might sit by the creek for a hundred years.

…

Zoe started the meeting on a positive note. "This is pointless. There is no time for talk. The hunters must leave immediately."

"West," Bianca replied. "Six shall go west to the goddess in chains. We'll take six Hunters and go."

"Yes," Zoe agreed. "Artemis is held, hostage. We must find her and save her."

"Two spots are already reserved," said Chiron, as though it was a field trip.

"Huh?" asked Zoe.

"You heard the Oracle. The Son of Lightning, the Son of the Sea." Chiron replied.

"Yeah," said Percy. "I am the Son of the Sea. I should go on this Quest. Anyway, the dreams about Annabeth came to me. I should go, and I will go with this Son of Lightning."

"You are forgetting something, Percy," Thalia said. "A Son of Lightning doesn't exist. Did the Oracle make a mistake? Daughter of Lightning? That's me?"

"No. Oracles don't make mistakes. Mostly we'll get a new camper _who_ ," said Chiron, emphasizing 'who', "is a Son of Lord Zeus."

"Wait," said Thalia. "what about the Great Prophecy? Could this boy be the one of the Prophecy?"

Percy felt weird. The Prophecy was always rumoured to be his, but now there was a chance that the Prophecy could be someone else's. Should he give it to this guy, or take it himself? _But_ he reminded himself, _I don't have the power to give or take it._

"Okay," said Chiron. "As I said, two spots are reserved, that is four spots left. Three Hunters can go, along with a camper. That will be equal."

"I'll go!" Thalia exclaimed. "Me!"

"But…" Grover murmured. "Pan…"

"Sorry, Grover," Chiron said. "Thalia, you can go. But you and Percy together is a disastrous thing. I need both of you to promise me on the River Styx that you wouldn't fight, or do anything like what you did today, on the creek."

"I promise on the River Styx." Thalia and Percy said at the same time. There was a distant rumble.

"Who are you taking, Zoe?" Chiron asked.

"I will go, along with Bianca and Phoebe," Zoe replied.

"Me?" Bianca asked, surprised. "I'm new, Zoe! I won't be any good."

"You will be fine," Zoe insisted. "There is no better way to prove thyself."

"Okay, fine," Bianca murmured.

"But… two males?" Zoe asked. "I can't have Hunters travelling in the company of two boys."

"You can't resist the prophecy, Zoe, even if I exclude those two you will still land up with them," Chiron replied resignedly. "You will have to travel with two boys. You have no choice."

"Okay. Two boys." Zoe grumbled. "That's not to say I must like it."

"So be it," said Chiron. "Thalia, Percy, and one more person will accompany Zoë, Bianca, and Phoebe. You shall leave at dawn, the second day after the son of Zeus arrives. And may the gods"—he glanced at Dionysus — "present company included, we hope— be with you."

…

"Chiron has announced a meeting, Percy," Grover announced.

"Huh?"

"With all the Senior Counselors."

"Oh. Coming."

Percy and Grover walked to the rec room. It was around the ping-pong table, the same place they had discussed the prophecy. Silena Beauregard, Charles Beckendorf, Travis and Connor Stoll, and the other Cabin Counselors were there along with Bianca, Phoebe, and Zoe.

"Okay," said Chiron. "All assembled?"

"Yeah," everyone answered.

"Okay. We've sensed a presence of a demigod. It's really strong. Sending like, what, shockwaves?"

"It can be the child. Of Zeus." Thalia said, gripping the ping-pong table hard. Percy could understand her excitement.

"We're going to take him now. He's attracting monsters. The thing is, we never sensed his presence. He's shielded somewhere really strong. It blocks him out. There is another problem. He's in Britain."

"Okay. Whatever. We're going. Come on, Grover, Thalia."

…

Harry was walking home. The Dursleys had reached a new low. Seriously! They had given him money before his 3rd year started for some reason. Now he knew. He was supposed to get a damned taxi to go home! Alone! What the heck? He was 13 years old!

"No problem, Harry," he muttered to himself. "You can give them a shock when you tell them about your godfather!"

The evening was quickly turning into night as he was walking. He was admiring the quietness of the night when –

BANG.

He turned quickly. A large, huge monster was there, snarling. From the books on Greek Mythology that Hermione had always pestered him to read, he knew the monster. _Hydra_. The monster tried to lean towards him started taking bites. Harry thought about its weaknesses. _The Hydra is a Greek Monster. It has nine heads. When one head is cut, two heads grow in its place. It spews acid from its many mouths._ He couldn't remember the weaknesses. Damn.

He needed a sword. Or a knife to go for hand combat. He couldn't even do his spells. He had done enough spells during holidays to get expelled from Hogwarts and he didn't want that. Ugh.

"HELP! SOMEONE HELP!"

He didn't care if any muggle saw or heard him. He just wanted to get out of this alive. He started running.

…

Percy, Thalia, and Grover had reached Britain in good time. Thalia had prayed to her dad to allow Percy to fly in a plane. There had been a rumble in the sky, which Thalia said was Zeus's allowance. Grover had followed the scent of the demigod to a little block of identical-looking houses, where the trio was standing now.

"Grover, can you sense him?" Percy asked. "We are _so_ deep inside Britain. What's the name of this place?"

"Little Whinging. Surrey."

"Hmm… Let's go a little furt-"

"HELP! SOMEONE HELP!"

"Who was that?!" Percy asked. "Let's go!"

They ran towards the sound.

"AAAAAHHHH!"

"Oh my gods," said Thalia.

What they saw was horrifying. A huge Hydra was running, following a tall, messy haired boy. He was yelling.

"I am sure this guy is the Son of Zeus. How else will he see the Hydra for what it really is?" Grover asked.

"No time to think," said Percy, clicking the pen so that it turned into his Celestial-Bronze sword, Riptide. "Let's save him."

They ran towards the Hydra in unison.

…

The Hydra disintegrated. Thalia turned to the boy, whose eyes were wide in the dimming sun.

"Hey," she said kindly. "I'm Thalia. Who are you?"

"I'm – I'm Harry. Harry Potter. What did you just -?"

"No time for that now," Percy said urgently. "We've got to get out of here _now_. Two children of Zeus and one kid of Poseidon… No saying how strong our stench might be."

"Stench –?"

"Come on!"

…

"Oof…" Percy murmured. "That was terrifying. Even though I got permission, still… I guess that turbulence was because of me."

They had landed at the airport. For pleasantries' sake, Thalia had prayed to her father, Zeus, the Lord of the Sky, again, to allow Percy to fly. There was a slight rumble of the sky. Still, there had been a shaky turbulence, which Percy took to be Zeus's mild punishment for him to enter his realm. Harry had been raging and storming throughout the entire flight. Thalia, predicting this, had brought some rope. Though she hadn't wanted to tie up her own half-brother, she had to. With the help of some mist-bending, she made the airport officials believe that it was just a calm and quiet guy with them, and not a guy who was raging and yelling for help. For about three hours, he yelled and caused a nuisance to alert people, but for the rest of the flight's duration, he became moody and withdrawn. Percy knew that it was because Harry was sensible enough to know that yelling and shouting wouldn't do any more help and that it was impossible to escape as they were in the gods-forsaken air. Now, when they reached the John F. Kennedy Airport, Harry looked as if he had received a shock. They were, now, able to see Harry's face more clearly now. He was tall and skinny, and his face was deathly pale. He had _extremely_ messy black hair, which stuck up in all directions and made him look like he got a shock. Beneath his bangs, they could see a scar, which looked like lightning.

"I'm sure it wasn't," Thalia said reassuringly.

"Can you please tell me _now_ why you are kidnapping me? Where am I – _holy Merlin_!" Harry exclaimed.

"What?" Grover asked Harry.

"You – you've bought me to freakin' America! I should have guessed! What do you want with me? And yeah, I didn't identify that you have an American accent… and you both," Harry added, pointing at Percy and Grover, " _still haven't told me your names_."

"Oh, yeah," said Grover. "I'm Grover Underwood. Camp Half-Blood satyr at your service."

Before Harry could say anything, Percy interrupted.

"I'm Percy Jackson. Er – Son of Poseidon."

"Look," said Harry, who looked as if he was reaching the end of his tether, "Are you some part of a cult? What is this 'Son of Poseidon" and "Satyr" thing?"

"No time," said Percy –

" _Stop. I am not going ANYWHERE with you unless you tell me where you are taking me and_ why _you have bought me in America_."

"Look _please_ ," said Thalia. "Do you want more monsters chasing you, Harry?"

"I don't. But what does this have to do with –?"

"Come on then." She grabbed Harry's arm and took him out of the airport, with Percy and Grover in tow.

…

"Are you sure, kids? There's nothing here, you know," the taxi man said. "Do you want me to go a little -?"

Grover quickly thanked the taxi driver and sent him away with some cleverly placed words. Harry, Percy, Thalia, and Grover had reached the entrance of Camp Half-Blood. Harry had been raging and storming all the trip.

"Ha," said Percy. He looked at Harry. "What do you see here, Harry?"

"Um… Some gibberish."

"Huh? You're not dyslexic? Or ADHD?"

Harry looked thoroughly offended. "What the heck sort of a question is that? No."

"Okay okay. Well, you'll have a harder time studying Greek. Come on in."

…

Harry walked into the place. He couldn't believe that he had actually been so calm throughout his journey. These people – Thalia, Percy, and Grover – had actually taken him to freakin' America. He was happy to go somewhere other than the Dursleys – and Percy, Thalia, and Grover looked fine – not like kidnappers or anything. And that monster – _Hydra_ – what the heck was that? He had never believed in Greek monsters till that time.

"We're in!"

Harry was shaken out of his reverie. Camp Half-Blood was filled with people – and what's more, looked like a Greek training camp. People were sword-fighting, jabbing spears at each other, and some were just sitting and reading. The reading club, all of them, to Harry's surprise, were blondes. People were wearing Greek armour – he knew it only because of Hermione.

"Ah! Percy!" a fatherly voice called. The four of them turned.

"Oh," said Harry without any enthusiasm. "A centaur."

The centaur paused and looked at Harry with fear, confusion, and respect in his eyes. "You didn't have any fear when you saw me? Most of the newcomers are often scared when they first talk to me."

"Why should I be scared? I have seen a nice lot of centaurs in my lifetime. A nice lot too they were."

This time, all of them looked confused. Harry felt to laugh seeing their faces.

"You've _seen_ centaurs? But, you were never introduced to the Greek world… then how…?"

Harry was about to tell the centaur about Bane, Magorian, and Firenze but stopped. _Do these people know about wizards?_

"First, tell me about this Greek cult."

…

Harry's mind was reeling. Demigod. Greek demigod. Harry Potter a Greek demigod. Yeah. So Greek gods exist. On top of the Empire State Building. And Chiron – the immortal centaur who thought those Greek heroes Achilles and Jason (again, he knew this because of Hermione). He could wield a sword. Greek monsters would be a daily part of his life. Wow.

But the major problem. These guys didn't know about magic. Could he tell them, or not?

…

Harry was trying very hard to fit in. Everyone looked at him as if he was something stuck to a toilet. And the Hermes cabin – _ugh_. Harry kept all his belongings in disillusionment – he thought that because of this magical barrier the Ministry of Magic wouldn't be able to sense it – so that they – his so-called _cabin mates_ Travis and Connor Stoll – wouldn't steal it. It was just the first day! He wished that he could get out of there.

"Hey, Harry! How's life?"

Harry, who had been sitting on his bed with crossed legs – jumped out and looked at the door. Percy and Grover were standing there.

"Life's bad," Harry replied, without any enthusiasm.

"Come on, man," said Percy. "We have a campfire. You'll most likely get claimed by your parent today, you know."

Harry stepped out of the Hermes cabin. He almost fell over. He'd been sitting on his bed for _two_ damned hours!

"We have campfire night, where you might get claimed. And yeah, we need to find a weapon for you. And, _stay away from Clarisse._ "

"Who's Clarisse?"

"Clarisse La Rue, Daughter of Ares, the war god."

Harry, Percy, and Grover turned. A big girl was standing there and smirking. She looked big and tough, with long, stringy brown hair. Harry made a mental note: _Stay away from this girl._

"We have a newbie initiation cerem –"

"Ah. Harry. Come with me to the armoury, will you? Percy, you too."

Chiron to the rescue! He plopped Harry and Percy onto his back and galloped off. Harry looked back, to see Grover cowering and Clarisse glaring at him.

…

A boy called Charles Beckendorf led them to the side of cabin nine which was made of brick and had a smokestack sticking out of it. There was a number nine on its door.

"The Hephaestus cabin?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Beckendorf answered. "I'm a son of Hephaestus." He led them to a metal shed and opened the door.

Harry's jaw fell open. The place was filled with weapons, ranging from swords to guns to knives.

"Show me your hand, Harry," said Beckendorf.

Harry extended his hand, and Beckendorf took it. He looked at it closely.

"Hmm… mostly sword will be good for you."

Before he could do anything further, Thalia ran in. "My half-brother's looking for weapons!" she exclaimed.

Harry didn't have any time to ask her what she meant when –

"What'll be good for Harry, Beckendorf?" Thalia asked.

"Sword. Almost as long as yours, Percy."

Harry started walking around the armoury. He felt that all the weapons were too _simple_ for him. Wands were so grand-looking. He was about to turn back when he saw a strange red light flashing from between a gun and a knife. But before he could look into it, Beckendorf called him.

"Percy, give Harry your sword, will you?"

Percy took out a pen from his pocket and opened its cap. To Harry's shock, the pen had disappeared from his hand and now Percy was holding a long bronze sword.

"Huh -?"

"Take this."

Percy handed Harry the sword. It felt nice in his hand, and it was the right length too. But, unfortunately, this sword was already Percy's, wasn't it? It's not like both of them could share a sword.

"How does it feel?" Beckendorf asked.

"Nice. It feels good in my hand, but it's already Percy's…" he trailed off.

Beckendorf laughed. "Both of you can't share a sword. I just wanted to check whether that size and width is good for you. You also check for swords in the meantime."

Harry walked over to the red light that had captivated him. He moved the knife and took out a long, steel sword with had bronze engravings on the blade and large rubies the size of eggs on its bronze hilt. The rubies were emitting the red light.

Harry audibly gasped. It was the Sword of Godric Gryffindor.

* * *

 **Well, my revised version mainly is removed plot holes, rectified grammar mistakes, and joined chapters. I have excluded the review replies.**

...

 **Q. When was Harry Potter born in canon?**

 **Q. In the chapter, it was mentioned that Harry was shielded in a very strong place and his stench was not reaching monsters. What is this place?**

 **Q. Who are the three main Greek gods?**

 **Q. Who were the four people who made/founded Hogwarts?**

...

PassionBeautyFreedom


	2. Gryffindor versus Anaklusmos

**Disclaimer: ../_.._ _ _ _._/_ _ _._ _ _./._ _.._ _ _/._ _._../..._ _. (find out whether that makes sense to you)**

Chapter 2 – Gryffindor versus Anaklusmos

Harry's hands were shaking. The sword… he had taken the sword out of the sorting hat when he was in the Chamber of Secrets and it had, practically, saved his life. How was it in the Hephaestus armory? He turned abruptly.

"Beckendorf, from where did you get this sword?"

Beckendorf turned to him to look at the sword. His face became a little pale.

"Why, Harry, you like that sword?"

"I do. Where did you get this sword from? What's its problem?"

"Okay. To explain this, I need to tell you some stuff which is not related to your question. This is the Hephaestus armory. We monthly check all the weapons to make sure that there are no faults and none are stolen. We also check all the Hephaestus weapons with the campers, yearly, so that all of them work fine in battle. This sword was always there in our armory, but recently, starting from last to last year, the sword started continuously disappearing and appearing. We kept it in our watch, to see what happens, but every second we look away, the sword disappears. Then later, it appears in the same place in the armory. We've never understood its mystery. That's the problem. It can disappear any time, Harry. The whole point of my speech is: _It can disappear in battle when you need it the most_."

Harry looked away. He understood completely. The sword was supposed to be lost till the end of his second year. Now, most likely, it was supposed to be in Dumbledore's office. The sword was magically shifting place from Hogwarts to the Hephaestus armory. He could take it – it was logically his. He'd taken it from the Sorting Hat. But there _was_ logic in what Beckendorf had said. It could still disappear when he had it. Not good.

"Beckendorf, suppose I took this sword. What would you suggest for me?"

"Hmm." Beckendorf looked thoughtful. "I would recommend taking a backup. Your hand – it's suitable for both daggers and swords. Guns – not so much. You can take a backup dagger."

"Wait," Percy interjected. "He can't walk around carrying two big pieces of metals!"

"Speaking of metals, what's my sword made of?" Harry asked.

Beckendorf raised his eyebrows. "It's… actually… it's kind of similar to Luke's sword, you know. Backbiter. It's made of both Celestial Bronze and Celestial Steel. The blade is steel and the engravings and hilt are made of bronze. It's decorated with rubies. It can hurt both mortal and demigod. And, by the way, Percy's statement – 'you can't walk around with two big pieces of metals'. Just tap the huge ruby in the middle two times, will you?"

Harry tapped the middle ruby two times. To his surprise, the ruby shrank to his finger's size. Then, the whole sword morphed into a ring.

Harry looked at Beckendorf, speechless. He smirked in a friendly way.

"So now that's settled, let's look for a dagger for you."

Harry selected a bronze dagger because he felt that he had enough of steel. It was a flashy one – with Greek engravings on its handle. It was as long as his hand to elbow. When Harry chose the dagger, Percy looked away. Harry decided to ask him about it later.

"I'll call it Gryffindor!" He exclaimed.

Percy raised his eyebrows and asked, "Gryffindor?"

"Why do you call your sword Riptide?"

"Riptide is English for 'Anaklusmos'. And Anaklusmos is engraved here, see?" He showed Harry the engraving.

"You can see this?" Harry asked Percy and showed him an engraving on his sword.

"Huh –?"

"Godric Gryffindor…" Harry murmured, fingering the engraving. "Are we are done with it?" He added, looking at his new sword and dagger. "And anyway, who's Luke?"

He noticed that Beckendorf looked a little sad, Percy looked angry and Thalia looked like a mixture of both.

"We'll speak about it later, Harry," Percy murmured and pulled Harry out of the armoury.

"What was that about?" Harry asked. "Who's this Luke guy, and Percy, why did you look away when I chose my dagger?"

Percy looked so dejected that Harry actually felt sorry for the guy. "Two different matters. I'll start."

"That sword which you chose reminded me of my best friend Annabeth's dagger. She… she got lost when we were on a quest to save two demigods from a monster. Thalia and I along with some other people are going on a quest to save her and the goddess Artemis."

"You're going? But you are the only friends I have around here!"

"Dumbass, you're coming too," said Thalia. "About Luke, he was my friend for many years. I thought I could trust him. But… he betrayed me and Camp. He's on the Titans' side."

"Sorry about him, but I have more problems! What do you mean, I come too? I barely reached here! This is my first day!"

"Chiron will tell you about that, Harry. Let's go for the campfire."

…

Harry was freaked out as hell, or _Tartarus_ as he should now refer to it. He was going to be publicly introduced to all the Camp Half-Blood people. And this 'claiming' thing was something else. Was he really going to be claimed by his father or mother? Now that he was thinking of that, how in the world could his father or mother have an affair with someone? He'd idolized them, the parents who'd died for him. How could him/her? That was one matter. Then the next one. The quest. He was new, for Zeus' sake. He didn't even know how to sword fight properly.

"Come on, Harry. Dinner plus Campfire time. But there's a problem… You'll have to be with Hermes… last."

"Ugh… bye." Harry said miserably.

He walked to the end of the Hermes line and crossed his arms.

"Having a bad time?" Connor Stoll walked up to him and asked. "Sorry Travis and I were mean to you earlier. You can sit with us."

"Thanks," Harry said gratefully.

At the pavilion, torches blazed around the marble columns. A central fire burned in a bronze brazier the size of a bathtub. Each cabin had its own table, covered in white cloth trimmed in purple. Four of the tables were empty, but cabin eleven's was way overcrowded. Harry had to squeeze in, next to Connor.

He looked around. Percy winked at him. He was sitting alone at the Poseidon table. Thalia was sitting alone at the Zeus table. That was so unfair. There were so many free tables and no one could sit there? What the Tartarus?

Finally, Chiron pounded his hoof against the marble floor of the pavilion, and everybody fell silent. He raised a glass. "To the gods!"

Everybody else raised their glasses. "To the gods!"

Wood nymphs came forward with platters of food: grapes, apples, strawberries, cheese, and fresh bread.

Harry's glass was empty, but Travis said, "Speak to it. Whatever you want."

"Um…" Harry murmured. "Pumpkin juice."

"Seriously," Travis laughed. "Pumpkin juice, Harry?"

"What?" Harry asked defensively. "I like it."

"Come on. Load your plate, and give a portion of it to the gods. Put it in the fire. The like the smell."

"Weird…"

Connor put a little of his food into the fire. "Hermes."

Harry scraped of a buttery roll and said, "Whoever you are, please, tell me."

"We've got a new camper," said Mr D. "Harold Peters."

Chiron looked at Mr D with raised eyebrows.

"Er, Harry Potter," Mr D corrected. "That's right. Hurrah. Now run along to your silly campfire. Go on."

Everyone cheered and headed to the campfire, where the Apollo cabin led the sing-along. There were no god restrictions, so this time Percy and Thalia accompanied Harry.

"Harry, come here," Chiron called.

Harry walked over to him, a little nervous. "I've got a lot of things to tell you. I don't think we have time – _oh my gods._ "

Harry felt as if he was in the spotlight. He looked above him. An unearthly green light was above him and it showed an eagle flying around a lightning bolt.

He looked back at the demigods. All of their jaws were on the floor except for a select few including Percy, Grover, Thalia, and Beckendorf. Gradually all of them sank on the floor.

"All hail Harry Potter, son of the god of the Sky, Cloud-gatherer, the rain god and the Thunderer."

When the light disappeared, murmuring started. Harry turned to Chiron.

"I'm the son of – Zeus? The king of the gods?"

"Yes. You are, Harry."

He turned to the Campers. "Everyone go back to their cabin! Except for Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, Thalia Grace, Zoe Nightshade, Bianca di Angelo and –"

"Only that much," said a voice. Harry looked at the direction of the voice, which was behind him. The speaker was a tall, graceful and gorgeous girl with dark brown eyes, a slightly upturned nose, and copper-coloured skin. There was a silver circlet braided into her long, dark hair. She seemed to glow lightly.

"Why, Zoe?" Chiron asked.

"New problems arise," said Zoe.

"Okay," said Chiron.

They all walked into the mess hall.

"Okay. All assembled?" asked Chiron.

"Yes. But new problems. Those conniving twins Travis and Connor Stoll gave our other, Phoebe, a shirt which was sprayed with centaur blood. It's like acid. She's got horrible hives. She can't go. No other Hunter has the capability to handle this quest… I don't know who to take."

"Will you take a camper?" Percy asked.

"If no other choice, yes. But _not_ a boy."

"Grover… He's a satyr. Do you count him as a male?" Thalia asked hopefully.

"Satyr…" Zoe said thoughtfully. "I don't."

"Hey!" Grover protested.

"So shall we take Grover?" Chiron asked. "Thalia, Percy, Zoe, Bianca, Grover, and Harry."

"Guys…" Harry mumbled. He was sitting with his face in his hands. "Can someone _please_ explain what this is about?"

Percy sighed. He remembered the time when he was just a beginner and was thrown into the quest. "Harry, look. Before you came here, before you learned you were a half-blood, there was a prophecy about a quest. In which there was a line concerning a child of Zeus. That, incidentally, is you." Percy recited the prophecy.

"Oh," said Harry tiredly. "When will I study sword fighting and stuff?"

"I'll teach you. During the quest, if we have time. Maybe during the nights."

"Harry, there's something else. You are a child of Zeus, aren't you? One of the big three? There's another prophecy, that a child of the big three will destroy or save Olympus on his sixteenth birthday."

Harry felt his heart turn cold. Great. Another prophecy. One godly, one wizarding. Awesome. He was the main of two.

"Harry. When were you born?" Thalia asked.

"2000. July 31."

"Hmm. He's younger than both of you, Percy, Thalia." Chiron said.

"One year. So mostly Thalia will be the kid, you know."

Harry let out a breath. So mostly he wouldn't be the one as both Thalia and Percy were bigger than him. Harry had thought about the matter of telling the demigods about the wizards. He'd landed up with an answer – no.

"All get ready for the quest. Pack all you need – you all will get some nectar canteens and ambrosia squares. Be ready. You'll leave at dawn tomorrow."

…

All of them were standing near the exit of camp and looking outside, the place they'd be hunted by monsters. They were getting out of their safe haven.

"This is your third quest, right?" Harry asked, in a low voice, to Percy.

"Yes. One in the First year, Two in the Second year, Three now. Life won't give me a chance to rest."

Thalia looked at him and snorted with laughter. It appeared as if she was listening to their entire conversation.

"I had much more problems in my life, man."

…

The starting was uneventful, nothing much happened. Harry and the gang were just going in a van to D.C, cause the prophecy said 'west'. They stopped at one of the buildings near the Mall and went inside.

"Wait, Percy."

He turned to Harry.

"Look at that car… Can you see it? It has been following us." Harry mumbled.

A black sedan's door opened. A man with grey hair and a military buzz cut got out. He was wearing dark shades and a black overcoat.

"He looks suspicious, doesn't he?"

"Percy, Harry, come on!" Thalia called.

"Guys. You go forward. We'll join you in a minute."

The guy took out his mobile phone and said something into it. Then he looked around like he was making sure the coast was clear and started walking down the Mall in the direction of his friends.

"Okay. Should we tip the others off?" Harry asked.

"No. I don't want to put their lives in danger."

"Ok then. Let's follow him."

Percy and Harry were just going to follow him when they heard a voice.

"Where the hell are you both going?"

All the four accompanying them were staring at Harry and Percy with their arms crossed.

"Oh," Percy stammered. "I…"

"Both of you were going to follow someone without telling us." Thalia finished.

"Not just anyone!" Percy said, in an effort to ease the tension. "Dr Thorn!"

"Does he know that we are onto him?" Zoe asked.

"No, I guess," Grover said, looking at Thorn and trying to see his expression.

"Okay. Let's go to the Smithsonian. The National Air and Space Museum." Bianca advised.

"Look. There's no doubt Thorn's following us," said Harry. "I guess we should split. Three people stay here and three follow him to see where he is going. Um… Thalia, Percy, and I will follow him?"

"Hmm… Okay." Zoe agreed.

Thalia, Harry, and Percy went outside, after Thorn. He headed across the mall. Thorn crossed the street and climbed the steps of the Museum of Natural History. There was a big sign on the door.

"What's written, Harry?" Percy asked. Harry was the only one who didn't have dyslexia. "Closed for Pirate Event?"

"Closed for _Private_ Event."

They followed Dr Thorn inside, through a huge chamber full of mastodons and dinosaur skeletons. There were voices up ahead, coming from behind a set of closed doors. Two guards stood outside. They opened the doors for Thorn, and Percy, Harry, and Thalia had to sprint to get inside before they closed them again.

"Oh!"

What they saw was so terrible that Harry gasped lightly. He, unlike the others, had never seen things like that. They were in a huge round room with a balcony ringing the second level. At least a dozen mortal guards stood on the balcony, plus two monsters—reptilian women with double-snake trunks instead of legs. Percy had seen them before. Annabeth had called them Scythian Dracaenae. But that wasn't the worse of it.

Standing between the snake women — he looked like he was looking straight down at Percy —was Luke. He looked terrible. His skin was pale and his blond hair looked almost grey as if he'd aged ten years in just a few months. The angry light in his eyes was still there, and so was the scar down the side of his face, where a dragon had once scratched him. But the scar was now ugly red, as though it had recently been reopened.

"That is Luke?" Harry whispered. Percy could understand that Harry had matched the person to the description Percy had given.

"Yes," Thalia whispered and held Harry's arm.

Next to Luke, sitting down so that the shadows covered him, was another man. All they could see were his knuckles on the gilded arms of his chair, like a throne. "Well?" asked the man in the chair. His voice was just like the one Percy had heard in his dream—not creepy like Kronos's, but deeper and stronger, like the earth itself was talking. It filled the whole room even though he wasn't yelling.

Dr Thorn took off his shades. His two-coloured eyes, brown and blue, glittered with excitement. He made a stiff bow, then spoke in his weird French accent:

"They are here, General."

* * *

 **Okay.**

...

 **A. In canon, Harry Potter was born on 31st July 1980.**

 **A.** **Hogwarts. Its wards are so powerful that monsters can't smell Harry. Even the love wards - Lily's blood - are so that monsters can't smell Harry.**

 **A. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades.**

 **A. Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin.**

 **Q. Who was Voldemort's most sincere lieutenant?**

 **Q. Who is the goddess of magic?**

...

PassionBeautyFreedom


	3. The Ultimate Killing Machines

**Disclaimer: Percy did it last time, now Annabeth.**

 **Annabeth: My captor doesn't own HP or PJ.**

 **An-Immortal-Hunter-Of-Artemis: You didn't have to say 'my captor'.**

 **Annabeth: I said it because you _are_ my captor.**

Chapter 3 – The Ultimate Killing Machines

"I know that very well, you fool," boomed the man. "But where?"

"In the rocket museum."

"The Air and Space Museum," Luke corrected irritably.

Dr Thorn glared at Luke. "As you say, _sir_."

Percy got the feeling Thorn would just as soon impale Luke with one of his spikes as call him sir.

"How many?" Luke asked.

Thorn pretended not to hear.

"How many?" the General demanded.

"Six, General," Thorn said. "The satyr, Grover Underwood. And the girl with the spiky black hair and the—how do you say—punk clothes and the horrible shield."

Thalia was gripping Harry's arm so hard that Percy could see Harry's arm becoming red.

"Thalia," Luke said.

"That imbecile doesn't deserve to speak my name," Thalia hissed.

"A Son of Poseidon also, Percy Jackson. And two other girls—Hunters. One wears a silver circlet."

"That one I know," the General growled.

Everyone in the room shifted uncomfortably.

"But there is another one. A boy. I don't know him."

Luke leaned forward. "Who?"

"Has messy black hair and green eyes. Skinny and tall. Has a scar on his forehead."

"I have to see who this guy is," Luke turned to the General. "Let me take them. We have more than enough—"

"Patience," the General said. "They'll have their hands full already. I've sent a little playmate to keep them occupied."

"But—"

"We cannot risk you, my boy."

"Yes, boy," Dr Thorn said with a cruel smile. "You are much too fragile to risk. Let me finish them off."

"No." The General rose from his chair, and the three of them got their first look at him. He was tall and muscular, with light brown skin and slicked-back dark hair. He wore an expensive brown silk suit like the guys on Wall Street wear, but no one could ever mistake this dude for a broker. He had a brutal face, huge shoulders, and hands that could snap a flagpole in half. His eyes were like stone. Percy felt as if he was looking at a living statue. It was amazing he could even move.

"You have already failed me, Thorn," he said.

"But, General—"

"No excuses!" Thorn flinched.

Percy had thought Thorn was scary when he first saw him in his black uniform at the military academy. But now, standing before the General, Thorn looked like a silly wannabe soldier. The General was the real deal. He didn't need a uniform. He was a born commander.

"I should throw you into the pits of Tartarus for your incompetence," the General said. "I send you to capture a child of the three elder gods, and you bring me a scrawny daughter of Athena."

"Annabeth?" Harry whispered to Percy.

"Yes," he whispered back.

"But you promised me revenge!" Thorn was saying. "A command of my own!"

"I am Lord Kronos's senior commander," the General said. "And I will choose lieutenants who get me results! It was only thanks to Luke that we salvaged our plan at all. Now get out of my sight, Thorn, until I find some other menial task for you."

Thorn's face turned purple with rage. It looked as if he was going to start frothing at the mouth or shooting spines, but he just bowed awkwardly and left the room.

"Now, my boy." The General turned to Luke. "The first thing we must do is isolate the half-blood Thalia. The monster we seek will then come to her."

"As if they can isolate me…" Thalia muttered under her breath.

"The Hunters will be difficult to dispose of," Luke said. "Zoë Nightshade —"

"Do not speak her name!" Luke swallowed. "S–sorry, General. I just—"

The General silenced him with a wave of his hand.

"Let me show you, my boy, how we will bring the Hunters down." He pointed to a guard on the ground level.

"Do you have the teeth?" The guy stumbled forward with a ceramic pot.

"Yes, General!"

"Plant them," he said.

In the centre of the room was a big circle of dirt, where Percy thought a dinosaur exhibit was supposed to go. Percy, Harry and Thalia watched nervously as the guard took sharp white teeth out of the pot and pushed them into the soil. He smoothed them over while the General smiled coldly. The guard stepped back from the dirt and wiped his hands.

"Ready, General!"

"Excellent! Water them, and we will let them scent their prey."

The guard picked up a little tin watering can with daisies painted on it, which was kind of bizarre, because what he poured out wasn't water. It was dark red liquid.

"Behold, my ultimate killing machines."

The soil erupted.

The three of them stepped back nervously. In each spot where a tooth had been planted, a creature was struggling out of the dirt. The first of them said:

"Mew?"

It was a kitten. A little orange tabby with stripes like a tiger. Then another appeared, until there was a dozen, rolling around and playing in the dirt. Everyone stared at them in disbelief.

The General roared, "What is this? Cute cuddly kittens? Where did you find those teeth?"

The guard who'd brought the teeth cowered in fear. "From the exhibit, sir! Just like you said. The sabre-toothed tiger —"

"No, you idiot! I said the Tyrannosaurus! Gather up those... those infernal fuzzy little beasts and take them outside. And never let me see your face again."

Harry, Percy and Thalia gave little snorts of laughter. They instantly, in synchronization, put their hands on their mouths.

"I hope no one heard us," Thalia whispered.

The terrified guard dropped his watering can. He gathered up the kittens and scampered out of the room.

"You!" The General pointed to another guard. "Get me the right teeth. NOW!"

The new guard ran off to carry out his orders.

"Imbeciles," muttered the General.

"This is why I don't use mortals," Luke said. "They are unreliable."

"They are weak-minded, easily bought, and violent," the General said. "I love them."

A minute later, the guard hustled into the room with his hands full of large pointy teeth.

"Excellent," the General said. He climbed onto the balcony railing and jumped down, twenty feet. Where he landed, the marble floor cracked under his leather shoes. He stood, wincing, and rubbed his shoulders. "Curse my stiff neck."

"Another hot pad, sir?" a guard asked. "More Tylenol?"

"No! It will pass." The General brushed off his silk suit, then snatched up the teeth. "I shall do this myself."

"What is he going to do?" Percy asked quietly.

"You saw when those cat teeth were buried, it became real cats, right? Maybe when those teeth are buried…" Harry trailed off.

"Oh, my gods," Percy muttered. "Didn't the General say T-Rex –?"

He held up one of the teeth and smiled. "Dinosaur teeth—ha! Those foolish mortals don't even know when they have dragon teeth in their possession. And not just any dragon teeth. These come from the ancient Sybaris herself! They shall do nicely."

He planted them in the dirt, twelve in all. Then he scooped up the watering can. He sprinkled the soil with red liquid, tossed the can away, and held his arms out wide. "Rise!" The dirt trembled. A single, skeletal hand shot out of the ground, grasping at the air. The General looked up at the balcony. "Quickly, do you have the scent?"

"Yesssss, lord," one of the snake ladies said. She took out a sash of silvery fabric, like the kind the Hunters wore.

"Is that Zoe's or Bianca's?" Percy hissed.

"Excellent," the General said. "Once my warriors catch its scent, they will pursue its owner relentlessly. Nothing can stop them, no weapons known to half-blood or Hunter. They will tear the Hunters and their allies to shreds. Toss it here!"

As he said that, skeletons erupted from the ground. There were twelve of them, one for each tooth the General had planted. They were nothing like Halloween skeletons or the kind you might see in cheesy movies. These were growing flesh as they watched, turning into men, but men with dull grey skin, yellow eyes, and modern clothes—gray muscle shirts, camo pants, and combat boots. If you didn't look too closely, you could almost believe they were human, but their flesh was transparent and their bones shimmered underneath, like X-ray images.

"Nothing can fool it," Harry whispered.

The snake lady released the scarf and it fluttered down toward the General's hand.

"If he gives it to the warriors, he will hunt down the Hunters till they will become extinct," Harry murmured worriedly.

"I have the invisibility cap," said Percy. "I'll take it. Both of you run out of here, and warn the others."

He ran and jumped with all my might, ploughing into the warriors and snatching the scarf out of the air.

"What's this?" bellowed the General. Percy landed at the feet of a skeleton warrior, who hissed.

He looked in the direction of Harry and Thalia. Both of them were not there. He gave a small sigh of relief.

"An intruder," the General growled. "One cloaked in darkness. Seal the doors!"

Harry and Thalia ran to the Museum of Air and Space. Bianca, Grover and Zoe were still there, standing near an Apollo space capsule. Neither of them wanted to cause a scene, so they ran close to the other trio.

"Bianca, Zoe, Grover," Harry said, panting, clutching a stitch in his side. "Thanos – I mean, some guy called the General – he's planning on killing all of us!"

Grover laughed. "Thanos?"

"No, no," said Thalia. "Harry's got a little mad. Some person called the General is planning to attack us using skeleton warriors –"

"General? Here? That is _so_ not possible."

"Why the Hades would we lie? Luke's also here!" Thalia insisted.

"People! We're in danger!" Percy came running towards them.

"Yeah!" Harry exclaimed, not minding to keep his voice low. "Twelve skeleton warriors. The General was like he was sending something, 'a playmate' to distract us. A monster."

"Zoe…" said Bianca nervously. "Can it really be the General?"

"It can't be. Harry, Thalia and Percy must have seen an Iris-image or something."

"Iris-images can't crack floors," Harry advised. "But, how can the three of us see and illusion and mistake it for a real person?"

Zoe took deep breaths to calm herself.

 _Hmm_ , Harry thought. _Zoe_ _seems to be taking this personally. I have to ask her what she has to do with this General guy._

"Come on," said Zoe. "Skeleton warriors… They are the worst."

Before anyone could say anything, there was a growl so loud that it seemed one of the rocket engines were starting up. Many people screamed and one kid yelled, "Kitty!"

Suddenly, something enormous bounded up the ramp. It was the size of a pick-up truck, with silver claws and golden glittering fur. Harry had never seen it before, but if he was to wager a guess, he would say it was some other Greek monster.

"Nemean Lion," Thalia said. "Separate, try to keep it distracted till I find a way to kill it."

Harry touched his ring finger to get his ruby ring out, but he had feared happened. The ring was not there.

"Damn!"

"What happened, Harry?" Percy yelled over the din of the lion's roars.

"My ring – Gryffindor – damn it!"

"Take your dagger, then!"

"Oh yeah!" Harry reached to his belt and took out his dagger.

He looked around and saw all his friends applying different defence. Zoe and Bianca climbed the Apollo space capsule and were firing arrows at the beast. Grover was playing a horrible tune on his pipe. Thalia was holding up Aegis firing lightning at the lion. Only Harry and Percy were standing simply, wondering what to do.

"Where's Annabeth when you need her?" Percy sighed.

"Where's Hermione when you need her?" Harry sighed at the same time.

"What -?"

"No time," Harry replied hurriedly. "Look. The Lion's fur… it's like metal. What d'you think is its weak point?"

"Um…" Percy murmured, looking at the lion fighting his friends' attacks. "Um…"

"It's mouth?" Harry suggested, looking at the lion roaring.

"That's it!" Percy exclaimed. "Its fur is invulnerable, no doubt." He turned to Zoe. "Zoe! Target its mouth!"

"No clear shot!" she yelled back. "Get it to open its mouth more!"

Harry looked around wildly. "Hmm…"

"Thalia, Percy, keep it occupied."

He ran to the gift shop. When he'd went to a space museum with the Dursleys (they had let him grudgingly), Dudley the Magnificent had pranked him with a thing. If that thing was here, hip-hip-hooray, if not, well, gods help them.

"Stop going for gifts, boy!" Zoe yelled.

Harry ran out, with a piece of a cellophane-wrapped, freeze-dried, strawberry parfait.

Harry charged at the beast, close to it, and threw a piece of the parfait into its maw. It gagged.

"Aha!"

Quidditch reflexes made him a good pitcher, luckily. Harry threw more ice-cream and a freeze-dried spaghetti into its mouth.

"NOW!" Harry roared.

At his call, arrows pierced its mouth. It fell, it was still.

"Nice technique," Thalia commented.

Harry looked back at the lion. It was melting, but its golden fur was shrinking into what looked like a fur cape.

"Take it," said Zoe.

"What?" Harry asked. "That's a violation of animal rights!"

"It's a spoil of war. Take it." Zoe insisted.

"No, Percy should take it –"

"I've got too many of these things," said Percy warily, eyeing the cape.

"Okay, whatever." Harry took the cape and put it on. It was soft and light.

"We have to get out of here. Quickly." Grover yelled to us.

"I was wondering that. Why are the guards not arresting us?" Harry asked him.

"Oh," Grover said, looking a little embarrassed. "Confusion song. It'll last only a few seconds."

"Um, we have to get the hell out of here – oh, damn," Harry yelled.

Grey men were heading towards them. The skeleton warriors. Looking straight at Percy.

"They want me," Percy murmured. "You all go."

"We're all going," said Harry aggressively.

"Yes," Zoe agreed. "We'll go together."

…

They were going in the van, crossing the Potomac when they saw the military helicopter following them.

"They know the van," Percy recommended. "We have to ditch it…"

Zoe swerved into a fast lane. The helicopter was gaining on them.

Thalia nudged Harry and prayed. "Dad, a lightning bolt? Please?"

No thunderstorm.

"You pray, Harry!"

"Dad! Lord Zeus! Lord of the Skies! King of Olympus! Father of Harry Potter and Thalia Grace, a lightning bolt, will you?"

There was a small rumble, but it didn't do anything to the helicopter.

"I have a lot of questions for you, Harry Potter," said Thalia, poking a finger into Harry's chest.

Zoe shot across two lanes of traffic into a mall parking lot on the south bank of the river. The six left the van and followed Bianca down some steps.

"Subway entrance," Bianca said. "Let's go south. Alexandria."

"Anything," Thalia agreed.

They took the tickets and passed the turnstiles.

"When we lived in DC, this subway wasn't there," Bianca said, looking around.

"Huh?" Percy asked. This subway looked old.

"No subway? At all?" Thalia asked.

"Trust me, when Nico and I were kids, there was no subway."

"Bianca, how long… Oh no."

The helicopters' sound was very loud. The gang was paranoid and changed trains twice. When they got off, they were in a freezing industrial area.

"No passenger trains?" Grover asked, his teeth chattering.

"Um…" Percy turned around. Suddenly, a bright light caught his attention behind him. When he turned, the bright light wasn't there anymore, but in its place, was an automobile carrier freight train. It had steel mesh curtains and a triple deck of cars.

"Whoa," said Grover. "Was that there before?"

"Don't know…" Harry murmured, walking toward the train. "But I'm sure we can use _that_ to our advantage."

…

It was the time of Harry's life. They all had got their own luxury car. Harry and Percy in a Lamborghini (he'd _always_ wanted to sit in one), Thalia and Grover in a Mercedes SLK (because she couldn't bear to be with Zoe), and Zoe and Bianca in a Lexus.

Currently, Percy had, to Harry's despair, struck up a conversation with him about his parents. Couldn't he seriously think how difficult it was for Harry to talk about them? Sometimes Percy reminded him of Ron.

"So, Har, who are your parents?"

"Um… I _thought_ they were Lily and James Potter. But now Zeus…"

"What?"

"They… they are dead. I was going to my aunt and uncle's house when you rescued me from the Hydra."

Percy looked sad. "I'm so sorry –" He looked scandalized. "Oh, my gods! Thanks for reminding me! I _completely_ forgot to teach you sword fighting!"

"Ha!" said Harry, relieved. "Let's go –"

"No. First about your parents." Percy crossed his arms and stared at Harry.

Damn.

"Erm… I just can't believe that my mom had an affair with Zeus. I just can't."

"Hmm. You know, I can tell you something that might make you feel better. You know the Greek stories of this Hunter of Artemis called Kallisto?"

"Uh –"

"No? I'll tell you. Greek storyteller Percy Jackson telling stories to a novice, Harry Potter!"

Harry rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, so this Kallisto, she was a Hunter, and also, Artemis' best friend. She was pretty, too. Now, Hunters of Artemis are out of reach, but Zeus – he fell in love with her. One day, she was relaxing in the sunshine, and Zeus the Great saw her. He changed form to look like Artemis and… well… attacked her. Then… well, just say that Artemis practically killed her, turned her into a bear."

"Why the Hades are you telling me this?"

"You know the method Zeus took, right? He _changed form_ to look like Artemis?"

"Yeah…" Harry murmured. He was getting was Percy was saying, slowly. Had Zeus –?

"What if Zeus changed form to look like your dad to have you? That would _not_ make it your mum's fault. She might not have known."

"You make sense," said Harry, seriously wishing that what Percy was saying was true. "That would also explain why I look so much like my dad."

"Yeah –"

Before Percy could say anything else-

"Sword fighting, please? I have my sword. It's limited, you know?" Harry showed Percy his ring, which quickly morphed into Gryffindor.

"Okay. Great."

They stepped out.

"Um… we need dummies…"

"One's there."

"Was it there before?"

"What the Hades is wrong with your eyes? Of course, it wasn't there."

Percy turned to look at Harry with a confused look. Then both of them burst out laughing.

"Come on," Percy advised.

"Stabbing. Slashing. You need good reflexes. And yeah, try not to destroy it, because we only have one. Take your sword, and first stab. Like this." He demonstrated with Riptide. "Then slashing." He slashed through the dummy's face, only leaving an inch between the sword tip and the dummy.

"Hmm…" Harry stabbed and slashed. He was surprisingly good at slashing, but stabbing, no. It was like he felt _pity_ for the dummy.

"Let's test reflexes, shall we?"

Percy took a wooden stick. "This is my pretend sword. I'll stab and slash with it. Think this is a sword, and defend yourself with your reflexes."

"Oka –"

Before he finished speaking, Percy started slashing. He really was ruthless. It really seemed that he was the best sword fighter Harry had seen (he hadn't seen any, had he?) but, Harry _was_ able to defend himself. His Quidditch reflexes were of good use. Not even one stab got through.

Percy stopped. He looked both surprised and proud.

"Man, how in Zeus' name did you do that? Not even _one_ stab through your defence! It should be in the defence manuals of Camp Half-Blood! How did you do that? You are _so_ good! How?"

"Um… I play Qui – tennis."

"That proves it. I'll start to play tennis after this quest."

"Heh heh…"

"Anyway, let's catch some sleep. And, the train will start to move after 5 minutes. Let's go."

…

Percy and Harry were back in the comfortable Lamborghini. Neither of them was able to sleep. Percy was having a hybrid of thoughts. One-third of them was about Annabeth and how he was going to rescue her, another one-third about Harry's prowess at defence, and another about how short his life was. Perks of being a demigod.

"Aren't you going to talk?"

Both Percy and Harry turned. The space in the middle, which was unmanned before, was now inhabited by a worn-looking man. His appearance was tired, but his eyes showed the entire opposite. They looked lively.

"Talking is fun,

Makes friends friendly,

Friends are life,

They are cool."

"Apollo?" Percy asked. Harry looked at him, confusedly. "Um… No one makes a haiku… so _good_."

"Thank you," said Apollo patronizingly. "Anyway…" he reduced his voice. "I'm incognito. Call me George. Zeus has weird rules… But no one messes with my baby sis."

"Help us, then!" Harry insisted.

"I already helped you. Don't be so blind, kids."

"Um… The train," said Harry thoughtfully. "And the dummy."

"Where's Artemis? And Annabeth?" Percy asked.

"Artemis… is clouded from me. Annabeth… that girl you lost?"

Percy discreetly glared at him.

"Look, if you don't find the monster before you reach San Francisco, seek out Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea. He has a long memory and a sharp eye. He has the gift of knowledge sometimes kept obscure from my Oracle."

"It's _your_ oracle, isn't it?" Harry asked doubtfully. "You must know what that prophecy is, shouldn't you?"

Apollo didn't answer.

"You don't know?" Harry asked.

Apollo looked at his phone. "I have to go! And after your quest, I expect a good haiku!"

Before Harry or Percy could say anything, they felt their eyes droop.

…

Harry was walking. In a big grassland, which Harry thought, was endless.

"My lad."

Harry turned. He was looking at a tall, muscular guy with red hair and beard. He had green eyes, just like Harry's. He was wearing magnificent red-and-gold robes. He looked like the descriptions he had heard of –

"Godric Gryffindor?"

* * *

 **My revisions are almost at an end! I also need to fix the chapter numbers after this, anyway.**

...

 **Q. Who were Harry's roommates?**

 **Q. Who were the six Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers who taught Harry? Who were the worst and the best, in your opinion?**

 **Q. What is Albus Dumbledore's full name?**

 **A. Bellatrix Lestrange. She was a little _too_ devoted.**

 **A. Hecate for Greek, and Minerva (Athena counterpart) for Roman, though Trivia is sometimes mistaken for that.**

...

PassionBeautyFreedom


	4. Double Trouble: Fallout

**Disclaimer: An-Immortal-Hunter-Of-Artemis: Mr Weasley... My disclaimer?**

 **Ron: At least you didn't kidnap me. Whatever the heck you want me to say. She doesn't own Harry or that guy called Percy Jackson.**

 **An-Immortal-Hunter-Of-Artemis: Thanks, big bucket of nose drool.**

Chapter 4 – Double Trouble: Fallout

Harry's throat was caught. "Godric – Mr Gryffindor – Sire –"

Gryffindor gave a booming laugh. "Don't call me like that, boy! Just call me sire. That was what everyone called me – when I was alive." His face turned sour.

Harry stared at him. It looked like Godric Gryffindor didn't like being dead.

"And your father is Zeus, boy?"

Harry's jaw fell open. "You know about Greek Mythology? That it is real?" He asked, shocked.

"Obviously, lad. All people, once they are dead, mortal or related to gods, know that Greek Mythology is real because of Hades' realm. The Underworld. And also, I was a demigod too."

"Wait, what –?"

"Yes, lad. I was a son of Ares."

"Er – not surprised."

"Why?" he asked, looking amused.

"You were the greatest dueler of your time – and you value stuff like bravery and chivalry – stuff which Ares also likes – speaking of duelling, how did you get magic? Like, you started magic, didn't you?"

"No. Use your brains, lad. If we were the only wizards, why on earth did we build Hogwarts?"

Harry felt stupid. The way Gryffindor said that...

"There were wizard-demigods and wizard-mortals at the time. Demigods and mortals who were _directly_ blessed by Hecate, the goddess of magic. Then, when they started marrying, their descendants also had magic, but with diluted blood –"

"Purebloods. But what about muggle-borns?"

"I had done research, but I still hadn't found out."

"Hmm. So… Were Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin also demigods?"

His face turned bitter. _His face is funny. Laughing to sour to bitter. Heh heh._

"Don't say that idiot's name. He still disturbs me, even in death. And yes, Helga was a daughter of Demeter. Rowena… you guess?"

"Athena?"

"Obviously. Her smarts were unparalleled. Slytherin… Hades, but he did enough damage and also insulted Hades in front of all the ghosts. Hades was only lenient because he was his son. He didn't receive any throne."

"Poor guy," Harry snickered.

"And you also took my sword, lad?"

"Oh." Harry looked at the ring on his right ring finger. He took it off and tapped the ruby two times. The ring morphed into Harry's steel sword. "Here."

"Don't be stupid, boy," he boomed. "This is a dream. You can't give me anything… but can you use it? The person who can wield it perfectly is the worthy one to be called the heir of Gryffindor."

Harry fingered the blade. "I can use it well. I am good at slashing, and Percy was astounded by my reflexes."

"You're the heir of Gryffindor! Did you pull it out of the hat? If you did, you are obviously the heir."

Harry was flabbergasted. "I – I did pull it out of the sorting hat, but how am I even an heir?"

"Anyone can be an heir of Gryffindor if they have the worth. But you… pulled it out of the sorting hat, and you are in Gryffindor too. It's almost certain." He added playfully, "Let's test you for Ares qualities. If you are my real progeny, you will have some qualities of Ares. Are you stubborn?"

"Yeah…"

"Do you have combat and duelling skills?"

"That I'm sure of."

"Are you a born leader and commander?"

"Everyone calls me that."

"Do you do whatever you want all the time?"

"I'm… kinda… rebellious."

"Since you are in Gryffindor, that'll mean you are brave and chivalrous. You _definitely_ a legacy of Ares, Harry Potter."

…

Percy shook Harry's shoulders to wake him up. "Harry! Harry! The train's stopped! Come on!"

Harry sat bolt upright.

"The train's stopped! Let's get out of here!"

They stepped out. Thalia, Zoe, Grover and Bianca were already there.

…

Percy, Harry and the others landed up in a little ski town. As they were walking, Harry and Percy told Grover about their conversation with Apollo. They walked into the middle of the town.

"No bus stands? Taxis? Anything?" Thalia asked.

"Coffee shop. I'm gonna grab coffee," said Harry. "Percy, coming?"

"Yeah –"

"I'm coming too –" started Grover.

"You buy coffee, while me and Percy – er – select donuts for us."

Percy raised his eyebrows at Harry. _He wants to tell me something. Alone._

"Okay," Percy and Grover both agreed.

They walked into the coffee shop. Harry and Percy went to the 'donuts and pastries' side while Grover and Thalia went the other side. Harry shiftily looked around, to see whether anyone was looking at them.

"You wanted to tell me something?" Percy whispered so that the cashier wouldn't hear.

"Look, I have a feeling that I'm a legacy of Ares."

"Legacy of Ares and son of Zeus? What in Zeus' name –?"

"Look, I had a dream yesterday… In that, this guy told –"

"Which guy?" Percy asked. He didn't want to miss anything.

…

 _Percy's too observant for my own good. Damn._

"Um… look, I've got to tell you something. You _have_ to believe me. Okay?"

"Yeah...?"

"I'm… a wizard."

"Wait, what?"

"I'm a wizard. A wizarding society exists. In Britain. There's a wizarding school called Hogwarts in Scotland. I can do magic."

Percy's eyes were wide. He looked sceptical. "Are you telling me… Wait. Swear on the River Styx, Harry."

"What? You want me to swear? You don't believe me?"

"I don't. I'm your friend, Harry. A good friend. A quest mate. But that doesn't mean I can believe everything you say."

Harry closed his eyes. Disappointment was flooding through him. His best demigod friend… was not believing such an important thing. No.

"Okay. I'll swear. But, our friendship is tarnished by this, Percy."

Percy nodded.

"I swear on the River Styx that the wizarding world exists."

Percy looked around. No rumble, no lightning, nothing. As Harry had expected.

"Wait, it exists?"

"I told you it does." Harry's voice was cold.

"Okay then, Harry. Tell me everything about this world, and who that guy is."

"Find that for yourself."

Harry turned, his coat swishing behind him. He walked away, almost reaching the door before he turned back to Percy.

"Buy donuts."

Unknown to them, a figure walked to the back entrance the moment Harry walked away.

* * *

 **Nowadays I'll update by week and in special cases 3 to 4 days. Also, my exams are coming up, so for almost 1 month, I won't update after a few more chapters. I'll inform you when I'll stop.** **Whose side are you on, Harry's or Percy's? In one week, next update.**

 **Review answering -**

EmeraldMoonChaser chapter 9 . Aug 31

Great chapter even if a bit short.  
Harry's room mates were Ron, Neville, Seamus and Dean.  
Continue writting

 _ **Was it short? It was my average 1k, wasn't it? Room mates, right.**_

Guest chapter 9 . Sep 1

great chapter any hint as to when you reveal my suggestion I made in chapter 6 you liked in this story.

Answers Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, Ron Weasley

 _ **Your suggestion... which one? Pairing Harry with Percy or Harry revealing his demigod powers? Pairing Harry and Percy... HarryxAnnabeth will mostly be in this story. Harry revealing his demigod powers... One's coming along [:-)] Answers correct.**_

Zurver chapter 9 . Sep 5

Please update asap!

 _ **I updated [:-)]**_

...

 **A. Harry's roommates were Ron Weasley, Seamus Finnigan, Neville Longbottom, and Dean Thomas.**

 **Q. Why was the pact of the Big Three made?**

...

PassionBeautyFreedom (aka An-Immortal-Hunter-Of-Artemis)


	5. New Revelations

**Disclaimer: PassionBeautyFreedom: Dumbledore.**

 **Dumbledore *looking serene*: PassionBeautyFreedom doesn't own Harry or Percy Jackson. But she will, after my master plan for the greater good.**

 **PassionBeautyFreedom *face-palm*: I'll never own either of them.**

Chapter 5 – New Revelations

 _What the heck is wrong with him?_

Percy was standing in the donut/pastries section, still looking at the door. It _so_ wasn't his fault. Who was supposed to believe Harry when he said such a world existed? Who? He was right in doing so, right? He wished Annabeth was here so that he could talk with her about Harry.

"Excuse me? Do you want any donut?"

"Oh yeah," Percy murmured and turned to the glass displays. 'Um… four chocolate glazed and two sugar glazed."

"Coffee?"

"No, my friend has already bought them."

"Okay. Just wait for a while."

Percy zoned out again.

…

"I noticed them, General."

"Good," said a blonde-haired guy. "Did you get that black-haired guy's name?"

"Only first. Harry. No matter how much I listened, I only got that name. Then this lady saw me, and I had to move further. I couldn't hear them. But it was a heated argument, no doubt. Like a falling-out. Then the black-haired guy walked, or rather, _stormed_ out of the shop. Jackson was still standing there, but he was thinking, and didn't say anything."

"Did you get anything important before you moved away?"

"Yes," the person said with relish. It seemed that he was saving best for last. "The guy Harry – is a son of Zeus and a legacy of Ares."

"What in Lord Kronos' name? Son of Zeus? A legacy of Ares?"

"Yes, my Lord. We could isolate him too, along with Thalia. He also seemed a little hot-tempered. A bonus. We've got one more chance."

…

Percy walked out of the shop, feeling to slap Harry's face. He was already there, kneeling over Grover, who was on the ground. Thalia, Zoe and Bianca were already there.

"Oi! What did you do to him?" Percy yelled, stomping towards Harry.

Harry turned to Percy, his look cold. "Come _on_ , Jackson. Use your rusted brains to some extent. I didn't do anything. He suddenly collapsed, blabbering something about the Wild. Pan?"

"What the heck is wrong with both of you?" Thalia asked.

"Nothing… just a little fallout – oh, gods. We've got company."

The skeleton soldiers were back.

"Let's take them one on one," Zoe advised.

"Yeah," said Harry before looking at Grover. "What is this 'its near' thing he's talking about?"

"None of your business," Percy barked.

Harry was about to retort when the skeletons drew out handguns.

"Oops."

Their eyes were boring into Percy. They were after him.

"The wild," Grover moaned. The gift from the wild."

"Man, what are you talking about… never mind."

They drew out their weapons and charged one on one.

Harry pierced through one's head with Gryffindor. It broke but rebuilt itself.

"Guys! Gryffindor's having no effect!"

Percy did the same, but the same happened to him. "Oops."

Even Zoe and Bianca released their arrows through the ribs of the skeletons, but no.

Thalia pierced into its ribs, with electricity charging through it, but nothing happened.

And yeah, Grover _certainly_ wasn't doing anything to help.

"Stay away from me and my friends!" Bianca yelled and stabbed the skeleton in the ribs. It disintegrated.

"What did you do?" Harry asked Bianca.

"I don't – _watch out_!"

One of the skeletons pointed his gun at Harry and shot. Harry raised his hand to protect himself. The bullet blasted off.

"Wha –?"

"Thy coat's bulletproof! If the soldiers attack us –" Zoe started.

"I'll protect you."

Zoe stared at him but didn't say anything.

"Bianca, you need to do whatever you did to that skeleton to the others! It's our only chance!" Percy shouted at her.

"I don't know what I did! And anyway, those skeletons are scared of me now."

Before anyone could reply, a large boar came out of nowhere. It was huge, and its eyes were angry. It raked all the skeletons far away.

"The Erymanthian Boar," said Harry. "We can't kill it. We have to –"

"It's a blessing from the wild!" Grover shouted. "Don't kill it!"

"Yeah right, a _blessing_ ," Percy said sarcastically. "Scatter, everyone!"

Percy, Thalia, and to his distaste, Harry, went in one direction. There was an old bridge.

"Come on, let's go! It will be able to hold our weight, but not the boar's! Come on, Thalia, Potter!"

Harry raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything.

"The boar's coming! We've got to jump!"

Percy pushed Thalia and Harry off. Thalia went green and started crying out, but Harry…

"Oh, my gods."

Harry was flying. He was _flying_. He couldn't do it well, he twisted and turned, but still, he _was_ flying.

"Yoohoo!"

Percy jumped, as Harry landed next to Thalia. Both he and Thalia looked worse for wear, but Harry looked like he had won a lottery.

"Was that a Zeus-power?"

"Find out yourself," Percy said gruffly but Thalia explained it.

"It is a Zeus-power. I don't have it, but you saw electricity passing through my spear, right? That is the most common Zeus-power, but it seems like you don't have it."

"That's the best," Harry murmured. "But the boar… we can use it, right?"

Grover, Bianca and Zoe arrived.

" _How_ are we supposed to use this, Harry?" Thalia asked.

Before Harry could answer, Grover did it.

"Do you have any idea how fast this boar can travel?" He took an apple and played a tune.

"Let's get out of here," said Zoe.

"Wait," said Harry. "What's this wild blessing Grover's talking about?"

"Thy couldn't feel it? Just before the boar came, I felt a strong presence of Pan, the Lord of the Wild."

* * *

 **Done. In one week, I promise. But after that, I might go for a month. BTW, I revealed Harry's first demigod power. More are coming!**

 **Review answering-**

KyuubiChild717 chapter 10 . Sep 6

I feel bad for Harry. here he is being forced to accept and trust the campers but they don't have any courtesy for Harry. makes it hard to read actually

 _ **Percy was a little rude, even I agree with that. If it was me, even I'd ask Harry to swear but not in such a rude way.**_

k0327 chapter 10 . Sep 7

My suggestion was how to solve the no dyslexia and ADHD. The answer is no longer father any demigods after World War 2

 _ **Yup, I know. Answer right.**_

...

 **A. After World War 2, the Oracle said that defined Percy's life. The pact was made to prevent their demigod children influencing mortal events too much.**

 **Q. Was Professor Trelawney a fraud or a real seer?**

...

PassionBeautyFreedom


	6. Ares, Aphrodite and Percy

**Disclaimer: I. DON'T. OWN. HARRY. POTTER. OR. PERCY. JACKSON. This is starting to irritate me now.**

Chapter 6 – Ares, Aphrodite and Percy

Harry and co had been riding the boar till sunset, which was the most anyone could take. They had left the ski heights, and landed up in a desert, which looked like Arizona to Harry.

When the boar started slurping muddy water and chewing a cactus (it was _thorny_ ), Grover suggested that they get off.

They ran as fast as they could with their sore backs – to huge mountains –

"They are _not_ mountains… They are junkyards."

Piles and piles of cars, and junk.

"Hephaestus' junkyards." Zoe murmured. "I don't like this. Let's camp till nightfall. We'll get the Hades out of here when it is cooler."

"Why do we even need to go through it?" Grover asked.

"The path to Artemis and Annabeth leads straight through it…" said Harry thoughtfully.

"You are pretty intelligent… _for a boy_." Zoe said, looking at him.

Percy looked disgruntled. Harry smirked in his direction.

"Let's camp here for now," Thalia suggested.

"Wait, let me see…" Grover took his acorns and threw them on the ground. He started playing his pipes. They didn't make any sense to Harry. Grover looked concerned. "Those six, that's us. That cluster is trouble."

"Um… let's just… you know… be safe," Bianca tried to lighten the mood. She and Zoe took out foam mattresses and sleeping bags from their backpacks.

 _Those bags are enchanted. Undetectable extension charm? Is Artemis a witch?_

"The sky is beautiful, isn't it? This is the first time I'm seeing stars like this. No city lights to dim them." Thalia said, looking up.

"Yeah," Grover agreed. "If Pan was there, he'd set things right."

"Bianca, what did you do to that skeleton? It's the only way to defeat them. We need to know it." Percy turned to Bianca.

"I don't know… My knife is the same as Zoe's… Maybe the right spot?"

"Forget it. I don't want to exactly _defeat_ them… just keep them out of our way… If we pass this junkyard we'll land up… where? I don't know." Harry said, trying to help Bianca. She looked at him gratefully.

"How do you not know, Harry?" Zoe asked. "Los Angeles –"

"NO!" Bianca shouted. "Not there! Anywhere but there!"

"Whoa whoa, calm down," Percy said, raising his hands.

"No… that place is bad. When we were small, Nico and I went to this hotel and then…"

Percy and Grover looked at each other and gulped.

"Bianca, the place where Nico and you went, was it called The Lotus Hotel and Casino?"

"Yes…"

"That place, its designed so that you never want to leave. Time goes faster in there too."

Harry looked at Percy. "First quest?"

Percy glared at him but Grover answered. "Yes. It was Percy's first quest."

"Hmm."

"You know, after finishing this quest, I am going to New Mexico and drinking a lot of coffee."

"Bianca, you said that Washington had changed, didn't you? What's the name of the president?" Harry asked.

"Um…" she answered correctly.

"Before?" Zoe asked.

"Roosevelt."

"Franklin or Theodore?"

"Franklin."

Zoe swallowed. "That was about seventy years ago, Bianca."

"What! I'm not that old."

"I'm sure you're not –"

A blinding light appeared.

A white limo stopped in front of Percy. A guy came out, took a sword, and pointed it under Percy's chin (all in a flash).

Harry drew out Gryffindor – _no,_ he _tried_ to take it. The damn thing had gone missing again. Harry cursed under his breath and took out his dagger. Zoe and Bianca pulled out their arrows.

"Not fast, punk?"

He was a big man, dressed in a biker's jacket, a muscle shirt, and jeans, but his most distinguishing fact was his eyes, which was plain sockets filled with flames. If Harry had to guess, he would say it was –

"Ares," Percy growled.

 _Well, both of them have bad blood._

"Calm, punks." Ares snapped his fingers. Everyone's weapons flew into the air.

 _This_ had _to happen._

He pushed Percy away and walked toward Thalia and Harry, who, incidentally, were standing side to side. He looked at Thalia.

"Great, you are back."

Toward Harry, who felt the energy radiating from Ares.

"The new boy… Zeus doesn't seem to be able to control his emotions, does he? What's your name, punk?"

"Harry Potter."

"Hmm… Children of Zeus… you're not hanging around with good company."

"Who's in the car, Ares?" Thalia asked.

"She doesn't want to meet any of you. Only _you,_ Jackson."

"We won't leave him alone with thee, Lord Ares," said Zoe.

"He'll be _fine_ ," said Ares, smirking at 'fine'.

Even though Harry loathed Percy now, he didn't want to leave him with Ares. There was an extent to which he wished bad luck to his enemies. He wouldn't want to leave even Malfoy or Snape with Ares if they were enemies. _Common Sense-ical strategy #1, Don't go into any places alone with your enemy._

"I'll… manage this," Percy stammered.

"Come on," Harry murmured to the others. They all reluctantly walked with Harry into the taqueria.

It was filled with people (how Harry did not know) to the second-last table. They sat in a rectangular table which could accommodate six people.

"Tacos?" The waitress asked.

"No," Harry replied. "But I could do with a mango milkshake."

The waitress left.

"Do you have any money, you moron?" Thalia hissed.

"Obviously," Harry smirked. He took two 1000-dollar notes. "Unfortunately, that's all I have."

"From where did you get that?" Bianca asked.

"Just say that I'm rich in the wiz – mortal world."

"Then we all could have ordered!" Thalia rejoiced. "WAITRESS!"

Thalia ordered milkshakes for everyone and extra tacos to eat later (they had nothing to eat, much). She filled it in Zoe's bag.

"Who does thy think was in the limo?" Zoe asked Harry.

"Um…"

"Ares came, right?" Thalia asked. "And his… um… _girlfriend_ is Aphrodite, so she might be?"

Harry patted her shoulder. "Good one, Thals."

He couldn't believe that he had never gotten closer to Thalia. After all, she was his _half-sister_. Percy, Percy, Percy. He's gone, and Harry couldn't make any more friends. Crazy. He could get closer to Thalia and Grover, who he hadn't paid attention to because of Percy. Well, he wasn't exactly a socializer, but still.

"So, Grove, you've been very quiet nowadays, huh?" He asked

"Pan…" Grover murmured. "I lost him."

Harry exchanged a look with Thalia. Ever since the Pan incident, Grover had been moody and withdrawn. He wished he could do something to help Grover, but before he could say anything, the world did a spin.

* * *

 **I won't be able to post any more chapters for now. One month, to be exact. Exams, the bane of any teen, are here and no matter how much I love writing, I can't concentrate on studying if I'm trying to write fanfiction. B** **ye for one month!**

 **Review answering-**

k0327 chapter 11 . Sep 14

I'd say more of a prophet than a seer but great chapter

 _ **Thanks! As for the prophet thing, she was called 'seer' in the books, wasn't she? But when it comes to prophecies, she definitely was a prophet, as both of them rhyme. [:-)]**_

Guest chapter 11 . Sep 14

Good story who know you could have harry be the great grandson of Hecate through his mother

 ** _Thanks! If he was Hecate's grandson, his magical powers would be increased like 100x. Right now, his magic's ordinary. I like your suggestion though, I would be putting something like that in the future, maybe. [:-)] But him being Hecate's grandson, no... just no._**

Fangtasia chapter 11 . Sep 13  
Trelawney had only two real prediction. One Harry and Voldemort before Harry's birth, although the label was only after Godrics Hollow's attack, the other on Voldemort's return, and Pettigrew's escape.

 _ **Yup, so in your opinion is she a real seer (like Rachel from PJ) or a fraud?**_

Dusk the Cybertronian Fox chapter 11 . Sep 12

IDK how to answer that since she made two real prophecies, but she was a HUGE fraud the rest of the time.

 ** _Precisely me. Just what my answer is._**

Guest chapter 2 . Sep 16

Please do harry/Percy, I couldn't stand harry/Annabeth.

 _ **Hmm. Firstly, so you 'can't' stand HarryxAnnabeth. Why, may I ask? Secondly, I also have already decided how I am going to make them together, so I am not in the mood to change it. Thirdly, writing gay ships is not my forte. I'm not that good at writing ordinary ships, let alone gay. That is out of the question.**_

 _ **And, just for knowing, are you a Hinny shipper?**_

...

 **A. She, in my opinion, was a fraud. For some reason, two prophecies came out of her but she didn't acknowledge that itself.**

 **Q. Do you like the PJO movies?**

...

PassionBeautyFreedom


	7. Powerful, He Emerges To Be

**Disclaimer: I don't own HP or PJ. 'Nuff said.**

Chapter 7 - "Powerful, He Emerges To Be"

Harry and his friends fell through different dimensions, just like a portkey. When they finally hit the ground, they landed up in the junkyard, which also contained a dishevelled Percy.

"Aphrodite, huh?" Thalia asked.

"Yes," he still looked dishevelled.

"What did she want with you?" Bianca asked.

"She told me not to… well… pick anything from Hephaestus' junkyard."

"Where should we go now?" Harry asked.

"West, the Ursa Major's North," Zoe replied, pointing to a constellation, "so west will be there."

"Okay," said Harry, "guys, do NOT touch anything. It's dangerous."

"Dangerous?" Grover asked, taking a smashed gold crown and biting it. "Delicious!"

"Stop," Zoe ordered. "Everything is thrown here for a reason, don't touch anything."

"I agree…" Harry muttered, calculating all the chances they had in the place. "What did she tell you?" he turned his question towards Percy.

"You don't mind," Percy said gruffly. Harry looked into his eyes. Conveyed… embarrassment? Somewhere in Harry's mind, one word was floating. _Annabeth… Annabeth… Annabeth…_ His mind was fixing parts, like a jigsaw puzzle. _Percy… Aphrodite… Annabeth… love… Percy… love… Annabeth?_ He broke out of his daze. Aphrodite wanted to see whether Percy loved Annabeth. Simple explanation, but it was missing a part.

"Be careful Percy, Aphrodite has led many heroes astray." Zoe was saying.

There it was! The missing part! _Aphrodite came to convince Percy to break off from the original quest to find Artemis and go off on his own to find Annabeth. For love._ Simple explanation, but powerful. Wait. Since when had he become Sherlock Holmes?

What Harry didn't notice was that Percy had been looking into his eyes the whole time.

…

Percy was worried. _One glance at my eye and he looks like he's figured out what Aphrodite told me. How on earth did he figure that out? Is he a mind-reader?_ One thing in the back of Percy's mind came in the front. _Wizard… Wizard… Wizard…_

…

Harry was looking around when he heard an exclamation. "Hey, look!" Bianca exclaimed. She was holding a hair clip.

"What?" Harry asked.

"It was a bow first and it turned into this hair clip! It's like your sword!"

"Hmm… yeah," Harry agreed, looking at his ring finger. Gryffindor had a knack of disappearing when he needed it. Luckily, it was on his finger. Instincts told him that a battle was going to start at any moment.

"Throw it away, Bianca," said Zoe sternly. "It is defective, that's why its thrown here. Put it away."

She started walking, looking at the Ursa Major. They all followed her. They started walking on the junk, throwing things out of their way.

There were a lot of exciting things, like a guitar and a metal tree, but there was no time to check it out.

"There's the road!" Grover yelled.

"Yup, but what the heck is that thing between us and the road?" Thalia asked. Ten-foot metal toes were sticking out of the ground.

"Metal… toes?" Harry asked. Those were just weird. Which person goes and sticks metal _toes_ in the ground? Like… what? "Let's go around it. _Around_."

"But the road's there!" Percy protested. "If we go over it, we'll reach a lot faster!"

"Around, man," Thalia advised. " _Around_. Harry's right."

For once, Percy didn't glare at Harry or look disgruntled when someone agreed with Harry or praised him. After walking, they reached the highway, which looked completely black.

"Great, we got out," Zoe let a sigh. But before Harry could sigh too, a rustling noise was heard and they all looked back. Behind them was a huge metal man, basically a skyscraper with arms and legs. Now it was possible for Harry to understand why it looked like toes – they _were_ toes. It was a bronze giant in full Greek armour. He was partially deformed – his left was completely melted.

"Isn't that – _Talos_?" Harry gasped. Yep, one of Hephaestus' creations. That Greek Mythology book came in use.

"Yes, Harry," Zoe agreed. "But that's not real. It's a defective model."

The metal man didn't like that. He took his rusted hundred-feet sword from his sheath. Harry closed his ears at the horrible sound. It was rusted and dull – it had no power to cut someone. But getting hit with that thing on the head would take your brains out.

"The only reason Talos woke up is because some took something – who?" Zoe looked at everyone – except Harry which made his heart take a leap. _Gods, a Hunter likes me, a boy. Zoe doesn't even like Percy fully and she likes_ me _? Wow. I am awesome._

"I didn't take anything! Don't look at me!" Percy protested as Zoe looked longer at him.

Harry looked at Bianca in the eyes, as her body language suggested that she was guilty. Her eyes conveyed what he expected – guilt. _Nico… Mythomagic… Hades…_ Bianca took Hades' model for Nico because he didn't have it. Harry shook his head. _Sisterly love at the wrong time._

He looked at Bianca. "Bianca, return the model."

The five looked at Harry in fear and in Bianca's case, guilt added.

Percy looked at Harry suspiciously. "She didn't tell any of us that. How did you know?"

Right question. Even Harry had no clue. "No idea. Will tell you later. Now worry about the problem at hand." The giant was approaching them. "Run!"

They all split up. Percy ran around holding his sword, Zoe fired her arrows at the giant (though it did nothing to it) and Grover ran up mountains of junk, braying like a baby goat. Harry and Bianca ended up hiding beside a chariot.

"Put it down!" Harry hissed. "Return it!"

Bianca took Harry's arm. "How did you know? You not only knew that I had taken something, but you also knew _what_ I took. Which figurine is it?" She looked straight into Harry's eyes, which made him very uncomfortable.

"Hades," he muttered, looking anywhere but Bianca's eyes.

Her eyes bulged out of her head. "Oh, my gods… you can read others' minds."

"Not exactly in the picture format, it's like first when I look into your eyes, I see the emotion. For you, I saw guilt. Then I get words… glimpses of what is in your mind. I saw three words – Nico, Hades and Mythomagic. That's all I get. I have to piece together the meaning – and I just happen to get the correct meaning all the time."

Before she could say anything, Harry pushed her. "Come on!" A shadow fell on the place they had been hiding and a giant foot smashed the chariot behind which they had been standing.

"Oh, damn," Harry murmured. The giant was following them, and easily overtaking them at the same time. With on backward glance, he saw Percy trying to distract the giant and Grover playing a quick melody. He looked at the downed highway lights and understood what was happening. One of the power lines wrapped around Talos' leg and gave him an electric shock.

"Come on! We got some time! Take the statue and throw it somewhere! The giant might leave us!"

Bianca had tears in her eyes but she took the statue out. It was a miniature figurine of Hades. She reluctantly dropped the figurine. Nothing happened, though.

"Where's Grover?" Bianca asked.

"An avalanche of junk has fallen on him!" Percy yelled.

"No!" Thalia screamed and shot lightning on Talos' leg. He stumbled, but still got up. He raised his foot to stomp and Harry saw there was a hole underneath his foot that said 'For maintenance only'. "Great idea," he muttered under his breath.

"What is it?" Bianca asked.

Harry told her his idea. "There will be switches or something like that. I'll get inside and switch it off."

"No! I'll get in. All that happened is my fault."

"No! You're new –"

"So are you."

"No!" Harry was feeling desperate. He wouldn't let this young girl die – when he, a thirteen-year-old was there.

"Give this to Nico. Tell him I'm sorry." She ran towards Talos' leg.

"NO! BIANCA!" Harry ran after her, without a plan, without anything. He started flying and flew towards her – intending to jump in when the giant raised his leg. "Bianca…"

"Harry, move," she said firmly. "All this is because of me."

"What are you doing?" Zoe screamed.

"Get it to raise its foot!"

Zoe shot an arrow into its nostril, but nothing happened. "Oi, Junk Boy!" Percy shouted and threw Riptide at the monster's toe. Following his example, Harry took Gryffindor and stabbed it at the exact same place where Percy had injured it. Talos looked down – and Harry's plan worked. He raised his leg to stomp him, but before Harry could go in, Bianca went under it. "No –"

But now Harry was its target. He had to run. He stumbled and fell head-first into a refrigerator. _I am a goner – oh, wait._ Grover pulled himself out of the junk pile and played one more tune, which caused the whole light to fall on Talos' leg. The giant turned towards him – Harry wanted to signal to Grover – _run, run, out of there! Run! –_ but Grover fell down and didn't wake up.

"Grover!" Thalia, Harry and Percy ran towards him – too late – Talos raised his foot to stomp him – then he froze.

The giant started dancing and waving his arms. Then he made a fist and punched himself in the face.

"Go, Bianca!" Harry yelled.

"She is _inside_?" Zoe asked, horrified. "How will she get out?"

The giant staggered and went towards the power lines.

"WATCH OUT!" Harry yelled.

Electricity was flowing through it and his right hand came off. Talos started running. Harry's team started running, but he went flying. Even with his force, the giant was still ahead of him. Different parts of his body were falling out.

After everything fell out, Harry landed on the ground and started calling Bianca's name with the others. Thalia yelled in anger and pierced the giant's face. Zoe sat down and wept. Percy looked pissed off and was kicking Talos' parts around. Harry was shocked. It was because of him, all because of him. What has he done? He could have gone instead of her. Why? He could have convinced her to stay and he could have gone in. He fingered the figurine in his pocket.

"We'll find her," Percy said, trying to be upbeat.

"No," Grover said miserably. "What was supposed to happen, happened. The prophecy. _One shall be lost in the land without rain._ "

"I should have gone," Harry said angrily. "She told her plan to me! I could have gone! Why didn't I go –?"

"Thee could not have gone. Thee is in the next part – _The Son of Lightning shall be engulfed by the Son of the Sea but powerful, he shall emerge to be_." Zoe said, looking at him sadly. "Prophecies never go wrong."

Though what Zoe said was correct, Harry couldn't help blaming himself. He looked at the sky. Bianca di Angelo was gone.

…

Percy found an old tow truck in the dump and decided to use it to their advantage as it had a full fuel tank. Thalia decided to drive. She wasn't as shocked as Percy, Harry, Zoe or Grover. Harry still looked like he got a shock. His hair was more ruffled as usual, and his bright green eyes looked dim. Grover was sitting alone and looked as if he was lost in his thoughts – and Harry and Percy were sitting face to face.

"So. What about your mind-reading?" Percy asked Harry.

"Uh… I can read people's minds… in word format."

"Word format?" Percy was confused, thoroughly confused. How could anyone read anyone's minds in _word_ format? "How?"

Harry raised his eyes to his. Emerald green met sea green. Percy felt a rush of emotions but in a flash, it went the same way it had come.

"Emotion – confusion. Words – um – word… mind… emerald… reading. So… something like "Harry's reading my mind in word format," but I don't know how "emerald" fits in there."

"Emerald eyes. I was also thinking how similar our eyes are." Percy sheepishly replied. "So you can _actually_ read minds."

"Just words and emotion, nothing else. I have to figure out myself what the person is thinking."

Suddenly, the truck stopped. Harry and Percy had been so engrossed in their conversation that they hadn't seen what was going outside. They had reached a dead-end, and the gas had finished, _and_ Thalia had blown the tires off.

"There's a path," said Grover, pointing at a goat path winding down the cliff face. Percy saw Harry looking at everyone to see how they were taking it. He locked eyes with Thalia, who looked deathly pale. He broke the eye contact and said, "I, uh, think we should go further upstream. A quick walk won't hurt us, would it?"

He looked at Thalia, who looked grateful. He grinned back. _What is that about?_

They followed the river for some time until they reached a canoe rental operation which was closed for the season. Percy left a note saying 'IOU two canoes' and left three gold drachmas.

"We need to go upstream," said Zoe, sounding as if she had flu. "The rapids are too swift."

"I'll handle it," Percy replied.

Thalia pulled Harry aside. "Thanks for helping me. How did you know?"

"Mind-reading," said Percy, before Harry could reply. "Know what?"

"Thals is scared of heights. Shall explain later," Harry said quickly. "Can you manipulate the water?"

"Usually, I'm good at –" Percy stopped abruptly. He had _completely_ forgotten the grudge he had with Harry before the Talos incident. By the looks of it, Harry had forgotten it too. "– it," he finished gruffly.

Harry looked confused. "What happened to –?" He froze. Percy guessed that he too remembered the almighty grudge.

"What –?" Thalia started, but both of them stared at her and she stopped the question. She turned to Percy. "Will you take Zoe? She's starting to worry me."

Percy wasn't too interested but agreed. Thalia and Grover got into the other canoe, while he and Zoe boarded the first one. Harry popped himself into the air.

"What _are_ those things?" Harry asked from the sky.

Percy looked down to see where he was looking. A couple of river naiads were looking _straight_ at Harry.

 _Hey, could you take us upstream?_ Percy asked, trying to get their attention. Once they stopped looking at Harry, they turned to Percy. They each chose a canoe and started pushing them up the river. Harry had to start flying fast, a few seconds back he was just hovering in the air.

"What happened to Bianca wasn't anyone's fault," Percy tried to shake her out of her depression. "She chose it."

"No, Percy. I shouldn't have pushed her into joining the quest. I thought she could be the next lieutenant."

"But you are the l –"

"Nothing can last forever. For two thousand years, I led the Hunt and my wisdom didn't improve. Now Artemis herself is in danger. If I had insisted on going with her…"

Harry flew downwards so that it almost appeared that he was sitting next to Zoe. "Look, you can't blame yourself for that. You couldn't have fought with something strong enough to kidnap Artemis. There is nothing you could have done."

Long shadows fell across the water and a cold breeze went through the water. Harry's eyes widened, and he took out his steel-bronze sword, Gryffindor. Seeing him take it out, Percy took Riptide out. Zoe looked at the sword sadly.

"You made this," Percy said.

"Who told thee?"

"I had a dream about it."

Harry looked at Percy, confused. Percy ignored him. She sighed. "It was a gift. And a mistake."

"Who was the hero?" Percy asked.

Zoe shook her head. "Do not make me say his name. I swore never to speak it again."

"You act as I should know him."

"I am sure you do, hero. Don't all you boys want to be just like him?" Her voice was so bitter, Percy decided not to ask what she meant. He looked down at Riptide, and for the first time, he wondered if it was cursed.

Harry was looking more and more confused.

"Your mother was a water goddess?" Percy asked.

"Yes, Pleione. She had five daughters. My sisters and I. The Hesperides."

"Those were the girls who lived in a garden at the edge of the West. With the golden apple tree and a dragon guarding it."

"Yes," Zoe said wistfully. "Ladon."

"But weren't there only four sisters?"

"There are now. I was exiled. Forgotten. Blotted out as if I never existed."

"Why?"

Zoe pointed to Riptide. "Because I betrayed my family and helped a hero. You won't find that in the legend either. He never spoke of me. After his direct assault on Ladon failed, I gave him the idea of how to steal the apples, how to trick my father, but he took all the credit."

"But—"

 _Gurgle, gurgle_ , the naiad spoke in Percy's mind. The canoe was slowing down. Harry looked ahead, and Percy saw why. This was as far as they could take the five of them. The river was blocked. A dam the size of a football stadium stood in their path.

"Hoover Dam," Harry said. "It's huge. I read about it," he added, to Percy's questioning look.

The naiads left after grumbling.

"Seven hundred feet tall," I said. "Built in the 1930s."

"Five million cubic acres of water," Thalia said.

Grover sighed. "Largest construction project in the United States."

Harry grinned. "Dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President Franklin Roosevelt."

"How do you know that?" Zoe stared at them.

"Annabeth, she liked architecture. Was nuts about monuments." Percy said.

"How do you know that?" Zoe asked Harry. "You never knew Annabeth."

"Read about it," Harry shrugged.

"You are perfect for Annabeth," Thalia said, looking awed.

"I know," Grover and Percy agreed.

"We should go up there," Percy said sadly. "For her. To say we've been here."

"You are mad," Zoe decided. "But that's where the road is." She pointed to a huge parking garage next to the top of the dam. "And so, sightseeing it is."

Thalia walked in the middle of the road, far away from the edges. Grover kept sniffing the wind and looking nervous. He didn't say anything, but Percy knew he smelled monsters.

"How close are they?" Harry asked him.

He shook his head. "Maybe not close. The wind on the dam, the desert all around us . . . the scent can probably carry for miles. But it's coming from several directions. I don't like that."

Percy didn't either, and by the look on Harry's face, he didn't too. It was already Wednesday, only two days until the winter solstice, and they still had a long way to go. None of them needed any more monsters.

"There's a snack bar in the visitor centre," Thalia said.

"You've been here before?" Percy asked.

"Once. To see the guardians." She pointed to the far end of the dam. Carved into the side of the cliff was a little plaza with two big bronze statues. They looked kind of like Oscar statues with wings.

"They were dedicated to Zeus when the dam was built," Thalia said. "A gift from Athena."

Tourists were clustered all around them. They seemed to be looking at the statues' feet.

"What are they doing?" Harry asked.

"Rubbing the toes," Thalia said. "They think it's good luck."

"Why?"

She shook her head. "Mortals get crazy ideas. They don't know the statues are sacred to Zeus, but they know there's something special about them."

"When you were here last, did they talk to you or anything?"

Thalia's expression darkened. Percy could tell that she'd come here before hoping for exactly that—some kind of sign from her dad. Some connection. "No. They don't do anything. They're just big metal statues."

Harry's face turned green. Percy could tell that he was thinking about the last big metal statue that the team had run into. That hadn't gone so well. But both of them decided not to bring it up.

"Let us find the dam snack bar," Zoë said. "We should eat while we can."

Grover cracked a smile. "The dam snack bar?"

Zoë blinked. "Yes. What is funny?"

"Nothing," Grover said, trying to keep a straight face. "I could use some dam french fries."

Even Thalia smiled at that. "And I need to use the dam restroom."

Maybe it was the fact that they were so tired and strung out emotionally, but Percy started cracking up, and Thalia, Harry and Grover joined in, while Zoë just looked at them. "I do not understand."

"I want to use the dam water fountain," Harry said.

"And . . ." Grover tried to catch his breath. "I want to buy a dam T-shirt."

Percy busted up, and he probably would've kept laughing all day, but seeing Harry laughing, he was filled with a strong sense to make fun of him, owing to their fight in which Harry had walked out on him.

"Man, you know, your only power is to fly?"

Harry stopped, and emerald eyes drilled into his. "What the heck?"

"I have more power! You possess only _flying_!" Percy shouted.

"NO!" Harry yelled. "Don't show your great powers to me now! The mortals might see! And, for your effing information, don't do anything stupid!"

"The Mist is there. I can raise many gallons –" Percy started. He had raised his hands, controlling the water. It was rising.

Harry looked at him as though he had got an extra head. "STOP! THIS IS NOT THE TIME!"

"Oh, right," Percy said sheepishly. It seemed as though their friendship had somewhat returned, as they were talking to each other without grumbling, or being rude. Percy liked it. _Time to get our friendship back on track._ A yell cut through his thoughts.

"PERCY JACKSON! WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING?"

Percy looked at the person who screamed. Thalia, Grover and Zoe were looking in horror in the direction of the dam. He looked back and gasped. A cyclone had formed with the water and was swirling like a tornado. And one person was flying inside it. _Harry_.

"HARRY! Oh, my gods!" He put his hands down, to stop the water. But the water wasn't in his control any more. He waved and motioned his hands downwards, to command the water to stop. Nothing happened, though.

"Percy!" Grover yelled desperately. "Help him! Do something! _You_ are the son of Poseidon!"

"Dad!" Percy screamed, looking up. "Dad! Are you listening to me? Are you controlling the water? Why isn't it under my command? Dad –!"

"Percy, look up!"

Percy looked at the swirling cyclone. Harry had stopped flying around in circles. His eyes were closed, and his arms extended. _Lightning_ was flying out of them in blasts. Suddenly, the water fell back into the dam, and Harry floated down on the ground.

Percy, Thalia and Grover ran to Harry. He was breathing, steadily. Percy concentrated on Harry and made his hand into a fist, to get the water out of him.

"Got any?" Grover asked, seeing what Percy was doing.

"No. If I put more power, I might take his body fluids out."

"That's both disgusting and scary," said Zoe, wrinkling her nose.

"But no water?" Thalia asked. "The guy was trapped in an effing cyclone of all things and no water went inside him?"

"I have a feeling that this was a set-up," Percy said, thinking hard. "The water didn't respond to my command, and Harry didn't swallow any water – and this is the first time that happened to me. Some god – or titan – is playing tricks with us."

"Splash some water on his face and get him to wake up! Those skeletons might be approaching us." Thalia said looking around.

Percy cupped his hand and held it out to the dam. A little water splashed out and fell into his hand. He sprayed the water on Harry. He woke up with a jolt.

"Oi!" He yelled at Percy. "You were trying to _kill_ me! What the heck?"

"The water wasn't in my command. I'm so sorry." Percy apologized. He didn't care if his voice sounded genuine or not, all he knew was that he _was_ genuine in his emotions. It seemed like he sounded genuine – cause Harry's angry expression had morphed into a merely disgruntled one.

"Where is that cyclone? If the water wasn't in your command, how did the water go?" He looked around and looked surprised that the ground wasn't wet at all.

"Um," said Zoe, trying to interrupt. "Harry, thee should know that thee was set-up."

"Set up?"

"The water wasn't in Percy's command. That means some god or Titan is playing with you. And I lean on either Hades or a Titan." Thalia looked angry when she said Hades' name. Seeing Harry's confused look, she elaborated. "Hades had sent monsters after me because Zeus broke the oath. I sacrificed my life to save my friends who were with me at that time – Annabeth and Luke. To save my life, Zeus turned me into a pine tree –" Harry looked flabbergasted, "– and Percy bought me back because of the Golden Fleece, which he had retrieved last year with Annabeth, Grover and Clarisse. He attacked me just because Zeus broke the oath – which is no fault of mine. Percy, too. Hades sent furies after him because he thought Percy stole his Helm of Darkness and Poseidon broke his oath – which is again no fault of Percy's. Who knows, Hades might be doing the same thing to you."

"You actually _did_ a quest with Clarisse? I need to give you a world record." Harry looked surprised. Then, his surprised look faded and he looked angry again. "Just because our dads broke the oath, putting out his anger on us, it seems."

Percy laughed bitterly. "He can't do a single thing to either of our dads. They are just too powerful. But he can do whatever he wants to _us_. We are half-mortal, aren't we? We can die."

"Stop this." Harry stood up. He didn't look like a person who had been trapped in a cyclone and fainted lesser than five minutes ago. He took a finger and put it on Percy's nose –

"OW!"

"You just – you just – _flashed me with lightning_!"

"Wow," Thalia whispered. "Harry point at the dam with all the force you can, will you? With all your willpower?"

"Um –" He pointed severely. Everyone gasped. A huge bolt of lightning, as strong as Thalia's spear bolts, came out of his _hand_ and hit the water.

"Wow… Harry, lightning's in your blood."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked Thalia.

"When I blast lightning, I take it from the air. I am able to use it because I am a daughter of Zeus. But you… after that cyclone, you acquired your godly powers of Zeus. In _blood_."

"I guess a part of the prophecy just got fulfilled," Zoe said thoughtfully. " _The Son of Lightning shall be engulfed by the Son of the Sea, though powerful, he will emerge to be_."

"Yes… I engulfed Harry with my cyclone and he got his final Zeus-powers…" Percy murmured. "Yes. That makes sense." He looked at the others. "So, are you saying that _Zeus_ of all people made this cyclone?"

"Wow, he should get dad of the year award," Thalia muttered under her breath.

* * *

 **I made that mind-reading thing on a whim, as I just finished reading A Study In Scarlet for the millionth time. I'd like to see some Detective!Harry stuff. Harry got his final powers, too! Yay! Inform me if you think Percy's being too OOC in his final fight with Harry. Anyway, I have decided that _hints_ of HarryxAnnabeth will be in this story (asked my besties - they decided that my slash-writing ability is dumb so I can't write HarryxPercy). Also, I have put on a poll for Percy's girl. Lots of the chapter were copy-paste, but it was needed. Also, Harry's kinda bookish in this fic.**

 **Review answering -**

MerlinGryffindor chapter 12 . Sep 22

Please, I need this to be a Harry/Percy story. It's just perfect!

 ** _I have already written my answer in the AN above. Really sorry (though I like HarryxPercy in stories)._**

Guest chapter 12 . Sep 20

Annabeth is just like Hermione and Ginny super bossy b*tches. Luna, Susan, Hannah, Daphne, Tracy, and Rachel.

 ** _I take it that you are the guest who insisted on HarryxPercy. Reason is in the AN why I can't write it. People like you are pretty rare. Before I thought that half the Potterhead population preferred Harmione and the other half preferred Hinny and Romione. Well, you hate_ both _of them so yes._ _And also, I guess that you have listed candidates for Harry, so let me tell you the reason I can't put them in this story. Luna Lovegood - I love Luna, and Haruna/Huna is a ship I like. But, well, I prefer Harmione over Huna. Susan Bones - she is a minor character, who I barely know anything about. She has played a nice enough person in the minor parts in which I have seen her, probably the most developed in this list. Hannah Abbott - Lesser known than Susan. 'Nuff said. Daphne Greengrass - Yup. The King of Gryffindor for the Queen of Slytherin. Good one. I know NOTHING about her other than the fact that she is Astoria Greengrass' elder sister (I like the ship though - If both sides are developed, I'll definitely read the fanfiction). Tracey Davis - Lesser known than Daphne. Rachel Dare - PJO! She won't even be in this story._**

 ** _Sorry for the long rant, but yes, a rant was needed. Thanks for reviewing!_**

LocaLoba chapter 12 . Sep 18

I can't help feeling that something needs to be pointed out to those who are so against the Harry/Ginny combo and for the Harry/Hermione. The most common reason I have seen for this has been that, and I'm quoting here, "He's fallen in love with/marrying his mother." The problem with this is that Ginny may LOOK a lot like his mother (who he doesn't really remember), but the one most LIKE his mother is actually Hermione. Muggleborn (Lily and Hermione), "Smartest Witch of her generation" (Lily and Hermione) [Please note that Hermione and Ginny would be of the same generation], Hot tempered (Lily, Ginny AND Hermione). As for Ron and Hermione needing marriage counseling, think about what was said about the dynamic between James and Lily.

All this being said, I have read and enjoyed stories with Harry paired up with girls other than Ginny. Some of my favorites have been Harry paired off with Daphne Greengrass, Luna Lovegood, or Susan Bones. Yes, any story I wrote would probably either stick to Harry and Ginny or Harry and Luna, but as long as the story is well written and the justification is more than it can't be Ginny because he's marrying/in love with his mother, I can read and enjoy virtually any other pairing...except Harry/Voldemort...No, just no. :D

 ** _Appearance is everything! Nah, just joking._**

 ** _Hinny is a ship which, according to me, doesn't make any sense. How the heck did Harry suddenly fall for Ginny just like that? Like, how? She was a tertiary character in PS, CoS, PoA, GoF, and OotP. She rose to secondary in HBP and DH. She almost didn't exist in PS (that can be excused as she wasn't a student of Hogwarts), CoS - the only thing she did was get possessed by Tom Riddle, PoA - didn't exist, GoF - didn't exist, OotP - can be respected as a student of Hogwarts, HBP - BOOM. She is suddenly the hottest girl of the entire SCHOOL (so hot that even Slytherins started looking at her) and DH she became Harry's girl and also did a good deal of fighting in the Battle of Hogwarts._**

 ** _In my previous answer to Guest, it can be easily understood that I am NOT a fan of any Harry-pairing in which the girl/boy is virtually nonexistent (Ginny is not nonexistent, but you get the gist of it). Ginny's character never got much consideration on JKR's part. She could have written Ginny as having PTSD, never trusts people much, and stuff like that. But new Ginny is just old Ginny, which is weird._**

 ** _Hermione is a highly developed character (except for the mishap that her parents names are never revealed XD) and Luna, too, I feel is more developed than Ginny._**

 ** _I too am not a very ardent fan of Harmione (such that I only read Harmione). I too enjoy other stories with HarryxLuna, HarryxDraco (only the really developed ones), HarryxGinny (from Ginny's point of view? Stories which develop Ginny's character), HarryxLavender/Parvati, and fics in which all characters like Daphne and the like are more developed. In a nutshell, the reason why I don't like Hinny is that she is very underdeveloped. Not only because of the Lily/Ginny problem._**

 ** _Sorry for the rant, I talk a bit too much when it comes to topics like this XD!_**

...

 **Please, no more reviews about ships. I am tired of them. You like your ship, I'll like mine!**

...

 **A. I don't. At all. The filmmakers changed the story a bit too much.**

 **Q. Who is your favourite character from the Seven of the Prophecy?**

...

PassionBeautyFreedom


	8. The Ophiocampus

**Disclaimer: This is the last time I am writing this. Can't come up with anything witty anymore.**

Chapter 8 – The Ophiocampus

Harry and Percy grinned at each other, all grudges forgotten.

"So I take it that the _dam_ grudge has finished," Harry said happily. He turned to the others. "Percy and I need some time to talk, guys. You go ahead and sightsee."

"Okay," Thalia agreed, looking a bit relieved that Harry and Percy were talking normally to each other again. They all smiled and walked away to the visitor centre. Percy leaned on the rails and looked at Harry. So now… I am sorry that I didn't trust you, Harry, and I'm also sorry that I was so rude to you."

"I am sorry, Percy, that I acted like a jerk and walked out on you. I should have given you another chance." He held out his hand. "Friends again?"

Percy held it. "Friends." Suddenly, he pulled Harry towards him and held him in a brotherly hug. Harry was feeling tensed at first; he wasn't a hugging person. But feeling Percy's arms on his back, he felt calm. He tried to remember the first time he had properly been hugged. He couldn't remember. Percy removed his hands and grinned at Harry. "Tell me about this wizard business, man."

"Um…" Harry told Percy all about him being a wizard, Albus Dumbledore, Hogwarts, his godfather Sirius Black, Ron and Hermione, and his destiny as the Boy-Who-Lived. "So yes, imagine my feelings when I heard you saying the other demigod-ly prophecy."

Percy looked sympathetic. "Most likely, the prophecy wouldn't be yours. It will be mine or Thals'. You are only thirteen, aren't you?" His expression turned to excitement. "Such a world exists? Oh. My. Gods. This. Is. So. Awesome. Like. Me!" Harry rolled his eyes at that statement, "You can do magic? Show me!"

"I don't have my wand. It's still in the Hermes cabin at Camp Half-Blood. I didn't even have time to _move_ my stuff from the Hermes cabin to the Zeus cabin. Anyway, I'll get expelled from Hogwarts if I do magic. I'll show you in the protective atmosphere of Camp Half-Blood."

"I am with you. Anyway, how do you know about Greek Mythology so much?"

Harry glowed at the statement. Since when had he become like Hermione? He had just read the book. It seemed like he had a better memory than he had been accounted for. "It's just a book. It had information about all the Greek, Roman and Norse deities."

"You like reading?"

"Obviously. Tell me more about Annabeth, will you? You never told me much about her."

Percy grinned. "She is my best friend, beside Grover. She is a daughter of Athena, one of the smartest people to ever have lived. She has blonde hair and grey eyes –" Harry crinkled his nose. "Blonde hair and grey eyes? She reminds me of this guy, my Hogwarts rival. A guy who is full of himself."

Percy laughed. "Don't worry, Annabeth is not like that. She's awesome. She came with me for my last two quests – the one in which Zeus insisted that I stole his Lightning Bolt, and the other in which I retrieved the Golden Fleece. This is my first quest without her…" He looked sad. "Before you arrived, Thalia, Annabeth and I were sent to get Bianca and Nico from Westover Hall –" Harry's face turned green.

"Oh no," he muttered. "Nico… what will we tell him?"

Percy too looked horrified. "We can't go and tell him like 'Hey Nico, your sister Bianca died in this quest.' She was all that he had."

"We need to soothe him before we tell what happened. Something like, 'Nico, some people died on this quest… We were lucky to be alive… Bianca… passed,' or something like that."

"I'll give him my pelt. I know it wouldn't match to losing his sister, but something… I have experience with losing loved people."

Percy nodded. "I know about your parents… Sorry again. Anyway, we'll discuss with Zoe, Thals and Grover."

"Annabeth was lost at Westover Hall?" Harry tried to go off the depressing track.

"Yup. That manticore we saw at the mall – Dr Thorn, ambushed us and kidnapped Annabeth."

Harry put his hand on Percy's shoulder. I assure you that we'll find her. Somewhere or the other."

Percy was about to reply back when –

" _Moo_."

Harry took his hand off. Percy turned his head towards the direction of the dam. Harry followed his movement. "What is it?"

"Didn't you hear that moo?"

"Nope. Maybe something to do with the Son of Poseidon thing."

Percy leaned his head and looked into the water. "Thirty feet below… Kinda obvious that you can't see it. It looks like a… hybrid… The front half is a… calf and back part is… a snake."

"Ophio-campus?"

Percy looked at Harry, looking astounded. "How in _high Olympus_ do you know that?"

"Not sure, but I remember."

"It is tangled, surrounded by a lot of Hippocampi."

"Can you talk to it?" Harry asked him. "You _are_ the Son of Poseidon."

"Yup… _Free it, lord_ –" Harry snickered at 'lord', " _We don't know what it is, lord, lot of strange things are stirring_." He turned to Harry. "I'll jump in and cut the net. I'll survive, don't worry."

"I don't care even if you _don't_ survive," Harry replied snidely.

Percy looked wounded. "That hurt." Saying, he jumped into the water. Harry quickly looked at the mortals but they didn't seem to notice a thing. _Mist_ , Harry reminded himself. He looked into the water, but all he could see was the ripple that Percy had left. Harry started snapping his fingers impatiently. _Am I sure that I am not ADHD?_

After about five, Percy came up. Behind him, the thing he had described came above. It looked like what Percy had described, except for the fact that it was five times weirder. Just like Percy had said, it's face-area was like a calf while it's back was clearly a brown, slithery, snake.

Percy somehow climbed up and nodded his head towards the creature. "Ophiocampus."

"Not sure! Ophio I am sure of, but it can be something else for campus."

Before Percy could say anything, the Ophiocampus looked around and started mooing. It was urgent like it wanted to tell Harry and Percy something. She wanted them to come with her. She was telling them to hurry.

"We can't," Percy told her. "Our friends are inside. Anyway, Harry can't swim like you or me."

She looked at them with her sad brown eyes. Then she gave one more urgent "Mooo!," did a flip, and disappeared into the water. Harry looked at Percy worriedly. "Something is wrong. She was trying to tell us that."

Harry and Percy suddenly tensed. The hairs on their arms bristled. Harry looked down the dam road to the east and he saw two men walking slowly toward them. They wore grey camouflage outfits that flickered over skeletal bodies. "The skeletons," Harry whispered. Then both of them ran.

The went to the visitor centre and dodged the metal detector guys. They were chasing Harry and Percy. Damn. "Where is it?" Percy asked, clutching his stomach. "Where is the dam snack bar?"

"There is no place to go but into that elevator with that tour group," Harry told him. They ducked inside just as the door closed.

"We'll be going down seven hundred feet," our tour guide said cheerfully. She was a park ranger, with long black hair pulled back in a ponytail and tinted glasses. Percy nudged Harry to look into his eyes. _A good way to communicate!_ Harry looked. _Notice… Ranger… Chased…_ She didn't notice that they were being chased. Harry nodded quietly.

"Don't worry, ladies and gentlemen, the elevator hardly ever breaks."

"Does this go to the snack bar?" Harry asked her. A few people behind him chuckled. The tour guide looked at him. _Something about her gaze makes me feel tingly._

"To the turbines, young man," the lady said. "Weren't you listening to my fascinating presentation upstairs?"

"Oh, uh, sure. Is there another way out of the dam?"

"It's a dead end," a tourist behind Percy said. "For heaven's sake. The only way out is the other elevator."

Harry and Percy grimaced at each other.

"Go right ahead, folks," the tour guide told us. "Another ranger is waiting for you at the end of the corridor."

Harry didn't need to look into Percy's eyes to know what he was thinking. _We don't have much choice but to go out with the group, do we?_

"And young men," the tour guide called. Harry and Percy looked back. She'd taken off her glasses. Her eyes were startlingly grey, like storm clouds. "There is always a way out for those clever enough to find it."

"What?" Percy mouthed to Harry. He shrugged back. The doors closed with the tour guide still inside, leaving them alone. A ding came from around the corner. The second elevator was opening, and they heard an unmistakable sound— the clattering of skeleton teeth.

"Oh, Tartarus," Harry muttered.

They ran after the tour group, through a tunnel carved out of solid rock. It seemed to run forever. The walls were moist, and the air hummed with electricity and the roar of water. They came out on a U-shaped balcony that overlooked this huge warehouse area. Fifty feet below, enormous turbines were running. It was a big room _. I can't see any other exit unless we want to jump into the turbines and get churned up to make electricity._ He grimaced at the thought. Another tour guide was talking over the microphone, telling the tourists about water supplies in Nevada.

"I hope Thalia, Zoë, and Grover are okay," Percy muttered to Harry. "They might already be captured, or eating at the snack bar, completely unaware that we are being surrounded. And stupid us: We have trapped ourselves in a hole hundreds of feet below the surface."

They worked their way around the crowd, trying not to be too obvious about it. There was a hallway at the other side of the balcony—maybe someplace they could hide. Harry kept his hand on Gryffindor, ready to strike. He could tell that Percy too, was doing the same thing. By the time they got to the opposite side of the balcony, Harry's nerves were shot. They backed into the little hallway and watched the tunnel that they'd come from. Harry quickly turned as he heard a sharp Chhh! like the voice of a skeleton. Percy uncapped Riptide and spun, slashing with his sword. Harry followed his movement and was almost about to slash, but he stopped one inch from her neck. Harry let out a sigh, thankful to the gods that he didn't hit the girl. Percy was lucky, he slashed the girl, but his sword didn't harm mortals, didn't it? The girl that he had just tried to slice in half yelped and dropped her Kleenex.

"Oh my god!" she shouted. "Do you always kill people when they blow their nose?" Harry shook his head exasperatedly. It didn't seem to enter his head that the girl was a mortal.

"You're mortal!"

She looked at him in disbelief. Harry shook his head again. But then the question came in his mind. _The mist? How did she see the swords for what they really_ _were? Percy had told me that mortals would see baseball bats and not swords. What?_

"What's that supposed to mean? Of course, I'm mortal! How did you get that sword past security?"

"We didn't—" Harry started. "Wait, you can see that they are swords?"

The girl rolled her eyes, which were green like both of theirs. It resembled Harry's more than Percy's, anyway. She had frizzy reddish-brown hair. Her nose was also red like she had a cold. She wore a big maroon Harvard sweatshirt and jeans that were covered with marker stains and little holes like she spent her free time poking them with a fork.

"Well, they are either swords or the biggest toothpicks in the world," she said. "And why didn't it hurt me? I mean, not that I'm complaining. Who are you? And whoa, what is that you –" She looked at Harry, "– are wearing? Is that made of lion fur?" She asked so many questions so fast, it was like she was throwing rocks at both of them. Harry and Percy looked at each other. Neither of them could think of what to say. Harry looked at his sleeves to see if the Nemean Lion pelt had somehow changed back to fur, but it still looked like a brown winter coat. Harry looked into Percy's eyes. _The skeleton warriors are still chasing us. No time to waste. Thalia had done something to fool the teachers… The day Annabeth went missing. She manipulated the Mist. Maybe… I could do that?_

Percy looked like he was concentrating heavily. He snapped his fingers. "You don't see a sword," He told the girl. "It's just a ballpoint pen."

She blinked. "Um . . . no. It's a sword, weirdo."

"Who are you?" Harry demanded. She huffed indignantly.

"Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Now, are you going to answer my questions or should I scream for security?"

"No!" Percy insisted. "I mean, We're kind of in a hurry. We are in trouble."

"In a hurry or in trouble?"

"Um, sort of both."

She looked over my shoulder and her eyes widened. "Bathroom!"

"What?" Harry asked.

"Bathroom! Behind me! Now!"

Harry shrugged. They listened to her. Harry and Percy slipped inside the boys' bathroom and left Rachel Elizabeth Dare standing outside. _Isn't that a tad cowardly of us? I mean, we left a mortal girl there_. The clattering, hissing sounds of skeletons was heard as they came closer. Harry's grip tightened on Gryffindor. _What was I thinking? I'd left a mortal girl out there to die._ Harry stared at Percy and nodded grimly. They were preparing to burst out and fight when Rachel Elizabeth Dare started talking in that rapid-fire machine gun way of hers.

"Oh my god! Did you see those kids? It's about time you got here. They tried to kill me! They had swords, for god's sake. You security guys let sword-swinging lunatics inside a national landmark? I mean, jeez! They ran that way toward those turbine thingies. I think they went over the side or something. Maybe they fell."

The skeletons clattered excitedly. Harry heard them moving off. Rachel opened the door.

"All clear. But both of you'd better hurry."

She looked shaken. Her face was grey and sweaty. Percy peeked around the corner. Three skeleton warriors were running toward the other end of the balcony. The way to the elevator was clear for a few seconds.

"We owe you one, Rachel Elizabeth Dare." Harry grinned at her. "What are those things?" she asked.

"They looked like—"

"Skeletons?"

She nodded uneasily.

"Do yourself a favour," Percy said. "Forget it. Forget you ever saw us."

"Forget you tried to kill me?"

"Yeah. That, too."

"But who are you?"

"Percy Jackson." He shook her hand.

"Harry –" Harry started to say. Then the skeletons turned around. "Gotta go!"

"What kind of name is Harry Gotta-go?"

Harry and Percy bolted for the exit. The café was packed with kids enjoying the best part of the tour—the dam lunch. Thalia, Zoë, and Grover were just sitting down with their food.

"We need to leave," Percy gasped. "Now!"

"But we just got our burritos!" Thalia said.

Zoë stood up, muttering an Ancient Greek curse. "He's right! Look."

The café windows wrapped all the way around the observation floor, which gave them a beautiful panoramic view of the skeletal army that had come to kill them. Harry counted two on the east side of the dam road, blocking the way to Arizona. Three more on the west side, guarding Nevada. All of them were armed with batons and pistols. But their immediate problem was a lot closer. The three skeletal warriors who'd been chasing them in the turbine room now appeared on the stairs. They saw Percy from across the cafeteria and clattered their teeth.

"Elevator!" Grover said. They bolted that direction, but the doors opened with a pleasant ding, and three more warriors stepped out. Every warrior was accounted for, minus the one Bianca had blasted to flames in New Mexico. Harry looked around. They were completely surrounded. Then Grover had a brilliant, totally Grover-like idea.

"Burrito fight!" he yelled and flung his Guacamole Grande at the nearest skeleton. In terms of deadly projectiles, it's right up there with grenades and cannonballs. Grover's lunch hit the skeleton and knocked his skull clean off his shoulders. Harry wasn't sure what the other kids in the café saw, but they went crazy and started throwing their burritos and baskets of chips and sodas at each other, shrieking and screaming. The skeletons tried to aim their guns, but it was hopeless. Bodies and food and drinks were flying everywhere. In the chaos, Thalia, Harry, and Percy tackled the other three skeletons on the stairs and sent them flying into the condiment table. Then they raced downstairs, Guacamole Grandes whizzing past their heads.

"What now?" Grover asked as we burst outside. Harry didn't have an answer. The warriors on the road were closing in from either direction. They ran across the street to the pavilion with the winged bronze statues, but that just put our backs to the mountain. The skeletons moved forward, forming a crescent around us. Their brethren from the café was running up to join them. One was still putting its skull back on its shoulders. Another was covered in ketchup and mustard. Two more had burritos lodged in their rib cages. They didn't look happy about it. They drew batons and advanced.

"Five against eleven," Zoë muttered. "And they cannot die."

"It's been nice adventuring with you guys," Grover said, his voice trembling.

Something shiny caught the corner of Harry's eye. He glanced behind him at the statue's feet.

"Whoa," I said. "Their toes really are bright."

"Harry!" Thalia said. "This isn't the time."

But he couldn't help staring at the two giant bronze guys with tall bladed wings like letter openers. _Dedicated to Zeus from Athena… Good luck… The blessing of Zeus… That tour guide… A way for those clever enough to find it… Pray to Zeus._

"Thalia," Harry said. "Pray to dad. Even I will."

She glared at Harry. "He never answers, Harry. You don't know him as well as I do."

"Just this once," Harry pleaded. "Ask for help. I think . . . I think the statues can give us some luck." He looked up. " _Dad… This once… Please give us your blessings…"_

Six skeletons raised their guns. The other five came forward with batons. Fifty feet away. Forty feet.

"Do it!" Harry yelled. "If we both pray, I am sure he will answer! I have a way to escape, but I am pretty sure that you don't."

"No!" Thalia said. "He won't answer me."

"This time is different!"

"Who says?"

Harry hesitated. "Athena, I think."

Thalia scowled like she was sure that Harry had gone crazy.

"Try it," Grover pleaded.

Thalia closed her eyes. Her lips moved in silent prayer. "Percy! You pray to Athena!"

"What?"

"I am pretty sure that it was her in the elevator!"

Percy looked like he was thinking, and his eyes widened. He closed his eyes. His lips started moving. Harry closed his eyes and started praying to Zeus again. _Dad… Blessings, please… Something to help us… Anything…_ And nothing happened. The skeletons closed in. Harry raised Gryffindor to defend himself. Percy raised Riptide, while Thalia held up her shield. Zoë pushed Grover behind her and aimed an arrow at a skeleton's head. A shadow fell over Harry. He looked up. It was an enormous wing. The skeletons looked up too late. A flash of bronze and all five of the baton-wielders were swept aside. The other skeletons opened fire. Harry raised his lion coat for protection, but he didn't need it. The bronze angels stepped in front of them and folded their wings like shields. Bullets pinged off of them like rain off a corrugated roof. Both angels slashed outward, and the skeletons went flying across the road.

"Man, it feels good to stand up!" the first angel said. His voice sounded tinny and rusty like he hadn't had a drink since he'd been built.

"Will ya look at my toes?" the other said. "Holy Zeus, what were those tourists thinking?"

As stunned as Harry was by the angels, he was more concerned with the skeletons. A few of them were getting up again, reassembling, bony hands groping for their weapons.

"Trouble!" he yelled.

"Get us out of here!" Thalia shouted.

Both angels looked down at her and Harry. "Zeus's kids?"

"Yes!"

"Could I get a please, Mr and Miss Zeus's Kid?" an angel asked.

"Please!" The angels looked at each other and shrugged.

"Could use a stretch," one decided. And the next thing he knew, one of them grabbed Thalia and Percy, the other grabbed Zoe and Grover, and they flew straight up. "Alright, I'm coming!" Harry yelled. He flew right up, following the statues over the dam and the river, the skeleton warriors shrinking to tiny specks below them and the sound of gunfire echoing off the sides of the mountains.

* * *

 **This most likely will be the second-last chapter before the Titan's Curse part ends. One chapter mostly will be Harry, Percy and Annabeth resting at Camp Half-Blood before Goblet of Fire starts.** **Done. I just put some Harry/Percy bromance in this one, hope you liked it. Mostly copy-paste, but I tried to change the writing in as many places as I could. And I don't know why, but I suddenly wanted to put RachelxHarry after writing their interaction. But Nah, I racked my head, but I couldn't think of any way to put her in Hogwarts, so I scrapped that idea.**

 **Review answering-**

Guest chapter 6 . Oct 13

It just sort of bugs me this is the book where nico shows up and so far bianca is here but nico hasent been mentioned once even though harry and nico where brought to camp like a day apart

 ** _I have put some parts of Harry and Percy talking about Nico in this chapter to answer your request. I was gonna put that there anyway, so yep. But your review was for chapter 6, that's like, really back so I put some Nico here. Anyway, I have big plans for the fellow [;-)]_**

joliet536 chapter 13 . Oct 16

you are an amazing writer and I love this fanfic so much please continue writing this and just writing in general because you are an amazing writer cheers mate

 _ **Your review seriously melted my heart. Thank you so much! I will definitely finish this fic, and writing, in general, might happen after many years because of my school life. [:-)]**_

Guest chapter 13 . 16h ago

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG! KEEP THIS STORY GOING!

 ** _I will, definitely. Thank you for reviewing!_**

...

 **Poll counts - 1 for Katie Bell.**

 **If you want anyone else, vote. I will definitely go according to the votes.**

...

 **A. My fave characters are 1. Percy, 2. Hazel, 3. Annabeth. Percy and Annabeth are obvious, though Jason is quite close to Annabeth in my like-level. Hazel is just so sweet!**

 **Q. Who is your favourite character from Harry Potter?**

...

PassionBeautyFreedom


	9. Metal Angels From Mars

Chapter 9 - Metal Angels From Mars

Harry looked at Thalia. Her eyes were shut tight and she looked frightened out of her wits. The statue was holding on to her and Percy so both of them couldn't fall, but still, Thalia clutched his arm like it was the most important thing in the world.

"Everything's fine," Percy promised.

"Are... are we very high?"

Harry looked down. Below the two statues and him, a range of snowy mountains zipped by. Percy stretched out my foot and kicked snow off one of the peaks.

"Nah," he said. "Not that high."

"We are in the Sierras!" Zoë yelled. She and Grover were hanging from the arms of the other statue. "I have hunted here before. At this speed, we should be in San Francisco in a few hours."

Grover played his pipes to pass the time. Zoë got bored and started shooting arrows at random billboards as they flew by. Every time she saw a Target department store—and they passed dozens of them—she would peg the store's sign with a few bulls-eyes at a hundred miles an hour. Thalia kept her eyes closed the whole way. She muttered to herself a lot like she was praying.

"We did well back there," Harry grinned at her. "Zeus listened."

It was hard to tell what she was thinking with her eyes closed. "Maybe," she said. "How did the two of you get away from the skeletons in the generator room, anyway? You said they cornered you." Percy told her about the weird mortal girl, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, who seemed to be able to see right through the Mist. Thalia nodded.

"Some mortals are like that," she said. "Nobody knows why."

Percy looked like he suddenly remembered something and his eyes glazed over.

"Oi, Percy!" Harry yelled at him. "What happened to you?"

Percy, on his words, broke out of his daze and beckoned Harry to come closer. Harry flew over next to him.

"My mom is like that," he whispered. "On my first day in Camp Half-Blood, I was being chased by a Minotaur. She saw it for what it was. She even knew that my half-brother –" Harry about asked him about his half-brother, but he didn't get a chance, "– Tyson, a Cyclops –" Harry was even more confused – he had a _Cyclops_ of all things as a half-brother? "– In Camp Half-Blood, the Mist dissipates. _I_ didn't know that Tyson was a Cyclops when I saw him. When I reached Camp Half-Blood, I realized what he really was. My mom, I am sure, knew it already as she hadn't looked too surprised when I told her about what Tyson was. She had been so scared for me when I was growing up. Now I know why."

"You never told me about Tyson!" Harry exclaimed.

"Now's not the time," Percy chided him. "We are flying. I'll tell you when we reach Terra Firma." He turned to Thalia. "The girl was annoying, but I'm glad I didn't vaporize her. That would've been bad. Harry was almost about to though."

"Yep." Harry shuddered. "My sword was one inch from her neck before I knew who I was attacking."

"Must be nice to be a regular mortal," Thalia said matter-of-factly. She said that as if she'd given it a lot of thought.

"Where you guys want to land?" Hank asked.

Harry looked down and said, "Whoa." He had never seen much of America, all he had seen was the airport and the Long Island Sound. He had seen pictures of major places like the Hoover Dam, Manhattan, and San Francisco, but the real Frisco was about ten times prettier. There were a huge bay and ships, islands and sailboats, and the Golden Gate Bridge sticking up out of the fog.

"There," Zoë suggested. "By the Embarcadero Building."

"Good thinking," Chuck said. "Hank and I can blend in with the pigeons."

Everyone looked at him.

"Kidding," he said. "Sheesh, can't statues have a sense of humour?"

"There isn't any _need_ to blend in, is there?" Harry asked. "Early morning, not many people around." He looked around. "Um, what are we going to do next? West Coast. Artemis is somewhere. Annabeth too, I guess. But _how_ are we going to find them?"

"Yes," Percy replied. "And where is the mysterious monster that Artemis has been hunting?"

"Didn't Apollo tell you to find that old man of the sea? Nereus?" Grover asked.

Harry had _completely_ forgotten about his encounter with Apollo. It seemed like a year ago.

Zoë made a face. "Old Nereus, eh?"

"You know him?" Thalia asked.

"My mother was a sea goddess. Yes, I know him. Unfortunately, he is never very hard to find. Just follow the smell."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Come," she said without enthusiasm. "I will show thee."

Harry couldn't stop laughing when Zoe outfitted Percy in a ragged flannel shirt and jeans three sizes too big, bright red sneakers, and a floppy rainbow hat from the Goodwill bin. Percy scowled at him.

"Oh, yeah," Grover said, trying not to burst out laughing, "you look completely inconspicuous now."

Zoë nodded with satisfaction. "A typical male vagrant."

"Thanks a lot," Percy grumbled. "Why am I doing this again?"

At that, Harry laughed even more. "To blend in," he said laughingly. "To blend in."

Zoe led the way back down to the waterfront. After a long time spent searching the docks, Zoë finally stopped in her tracks. She pointed down a pier where a bunch of homeless guys were huddled together in blankets, waiting for the soup kitchen to open for lunch. "He will be down there somewhere," she said. "He never travels very far from the water. He likes to sun himself during the day."

"How do I know which one is him?" Percy asked her.

"Sneak up," she said. "Act homeless. You will know him. He will smell... different."

"Great," Percy said unenthusiastically. "And once I find him?"

"Grab him," she said. "And hold on. He will try anything to get rid of thee. Whatever he does, do not let go. Force him to tell thee about the monster."

"We've got your back," Harry told him. He picked something off the back of his shirt—a big clump of fuzz that came from who-knows-where. "Eww. Gross. I don't want your back. But we'll be rooting for you."

Grover gave Percy a big thumbs-up. Percy grumbled something about how nice it was to have super-powerful friends. He headed toward the dock. Harry and the others hid, still looking at Percy. He did a great dramatic act of almost passing out. He kept walking, occasionally sniffing, to see if anyone smelled different, Harry guessed. A lady with a bunch of plastic flamingos sticking out of a shopping cart glared at him. Harry snorted. Zoe glared at him. "I could have chosen thee if I wanted." Harry gulped.

"Look!" Grover alerted. At the end of the pier, a guy who looked about a million years old was passed out in a patch of sunlight. He wore pajamas and a fuzzy bathrobe that probably used to be white. He was fat, with a white beard that had turned yellow, kind of like Santa Claus, if Santa had been rolled out of bed and dragged through a landfill. Percy was sniffing, looking disgusted. He sat down next to the guy, looking like he was trying not to gag. Percy muttered something, and the old man went to sleep. Suddenly, he jumped Mr-Santa-Claus-who-looked-like-he-jumped-into-a-landfill. "Ah!" he screamed. He and Percy were grabbing and fighting (how that old man could fight a guy like Percy, Harry did not know), until his head slammed against a post. He looked dazed. Harry and his friends ran out of their hiding place, and tackled him. Nereus looked around at them, and yelled. "I don't have any money!"

"We don't want money!" Harry told him. "We want information! We are half-bloods!"

"Argh!" He yelled. "Heroes! Why do you always pick on me?"

"Because you know everything!"

Suddenly, Percy looked like a lightbulb crashed into his head. "Oh, no!" he cried, "Not the water!"

Nereus yelled in triumph and plunged into the sea, taking Percy with him.

"What –?" Harry started.

"Don't worry." Thalia put a hand on his shoulder. "That moron will survive. He's a son of Poseidon."

They waited, all of them snapping their fingers or acting twitchy except Harry. A while later, a killer whale erupted from the water, with Percy hanging onto its fin. Many tourists went 'whoa' and Percy waved. Harry shook his head at Percy's antics. They both plunged into the water again. After a little time, Nereus collapsed on the edge of the boat dock, gasping and heaving. Percy looked expressionless, but Harry felt that the guy didn't know what expression to put on his face.

Nereus looked anguished. "The normal deal, I suppose? You'll let me go if I answer your query?"

"We have many questions," said Percy.

"Only one question per capture! That's the rule."

Harry looked into Percy's eyes _._ Staring at him, Harry could make out the words _Annabeth_ , _Artemis_ and _Olympus_. That was bit of a challenge. _Annabeth will never forgive me if I rescue her and leave Artemis and Olympus to rot._ Harry smiled internally. He couldn't wait to meet Annabeth. She was very interesting, if what Percy spoke (and thought) about her was true. He broke the eye contact and looked into Zoe's eyes. _Monster… Artemis… Rescue._ Hmm. Zoe indeed wanted to rescue Artemis and Artemis only. But well, a part of her was stopping it. _I can rescue Lady Artemis if I ask Nereus about her, but what about the terrifying monster? Lady Artemis would want me to kill it._ Harry nodded. That made sense. A goddess would always care about the greater good, and not herself. Or so he thought.

Percy sighed. "All right, Nereus. Tell me where to find this terrible monster that could bring an end to the gods. The one Artemis was hunting."

The Old Man of the Sea smiled, showing off his mossy green teeth. "Oh, that's too easy," he said evilly. "He's right there." Nereus pointed to the water at Percy's feet.

"Where?" he said.

"The deal is complete!" Nereus gloated. With a pop, he turned into a goldfish and did a backflip into the sea.

"You tricked me!" Percy yelled.

"Wait." Thalia's eyes widened. "What is that?"

"MOOOOOOOO!" Harry looked down, and there was the cow serpent, Ophio _campus_ swimming next to the dock. She nudged Percy's shoe and gave him the sad brown eyes.

"Ah, Bessie," Percy said. "Not now."

"Mooo!"

"Ophiocampus, man," Harry chided him.

Grover gasped. "He says his name isn't Bessie."

"You can understand her... er, him?" Harry asked.

Grover nodded. "It's a very old form of animal speech. But he says his name is the Ophiotaurus."

"It wasn't Ophiocampus!" Percy looked at Harry.

"I told you that I wasn't sure about the Campus thingy – I was sure about Ophio! And I was right, wasn't I?"

"It means serpent bull in Greek," Thalia said. "But what's it doing here?"

"Moooooooo!"

"He says Percy is his protector," Grover announced. "And he's running from the bad people. He says they are close."

"All of that in a single moo." Harry rolled his eyes.

"Wait," Zoë said, looking at Harry and Percy. "Both of you know this cow?"

Harry wasn't in the mood, and neither was Percy, but they told the rest of them the story.

Thalia shook her head in disbelief. "And you just forgot to mention this before?"

"Well... yeah," Percy said sheepishly.

It seemed silly, now that she said it, but things had been happening so fast. Bessie, the Ophiotaurus, seemed like a minor detail.

"I am a fool," Zoë said suddenly. "I know this story!"

"What story?"

"From the War of the Titans," she said. "My... my father told me this tale, thousands of years ago. This is the beast we are looking for."

"Bessie?" Harry looked down at the bull serpent. "But... he's too cute. He couldn't destroy the world."

"That is how we were wrong," Zoë said. "We've been anticipating a huge dangerous monster, but the Ophiotaurus does not bring down the gods that way. He must be sacrificed."

"MMMM," Bessie lowed.

"I don't think he likes the S-word," Grover said. Percy patted Bessie on the head. He let him scratch his ear, but he was trembling.

"How could anyone hurt him?" Percy said. "He's harmless."

Zoë nodded. "But there is power in killing innocence. Terrible power. The Fates ordained a prophecy eons ago, when this creature was born. They said that whoever killed the Ophiotaurus and sacrificed its entrails to fire would have the power to destroy the gods."

"MMMMMM!"

"Um," Grover said. "Maybe we could avoid talking about entrails, too."

Harry stared at the cow serpent with wonder. "The power to destroy the gods... how? I mean, what would happen?"

"No one knows," Zoë said. "The first time, during the Titan war, the Ophiotaurus was in fact slain by a giant ally of the Titans, but thy father, Zeus, sent an eagle to snatch the entrails away before they could be tossed into the fire. It was a close call. Now, after three thousand years, the Ophiotaurus is reborn."

Thalia sat down on the dock. She stretched out her hand. Bessie went right to her. Thalia placed her hand on his head. Bessie shivered. Thalia's expression bothered Harry. A lot. She almost looked. . . hungry. _Power hunger_ , thought Harry. _Did Luke have an influence over her?_

"We have to protect him," he told her. "If Luke gets hold of him—"

"Luke wouldn't hesitate," Thalia muttered. "The power to overthrow Olympus. That's... that's huge."

Even though Harry didn't like what he was thinking, he found himself agreeing with Thalia. Getting that power would be immense. _If I get it, I can overthrow Voldemort with just a snap of my finger… Or with something like lightning… It would just be so easy. Overthrowing Olympus… is good, isn't it? It's not like Zeus, or any god for that matter, cares about me._ Harry didn't notice that everyone except Thalia was staring at him with fear in their eyes. "Its huge…" Harry muttered. "Getting that power would be… awesome… wouldn't it?"

"It definitely would, my dears," said a man's voice in a heavy French accent. "And it is a power both of you shall unleash."

The Ophiotaurus made a whimpering sound and submerged. Harry looked up. He had been so submerged in his thoughts, and the others had been busy talking, that they had gotten themselves ambushed. Standing behind them, his two-color eyes gleaming wickedly, was Dr. Thorn, the manticore himself.

"This is just pairrr-fect," the manticore gloated. He was wearing a ratty black trench coat over his Westover Hall uniform, which was torn and stained. His military haircut had grown out spiky and greasy. He hadn't shaved recently, so his face was covered in silver stubble. Basically, he didn't look much better than the guys down at the soup kitchen.

"Long ago, the gods banished me to Persia," the manticore said. "I was forced to scrounge for food on the edges of the world, hiding in forests, devouring insignificant human farmers for my meals. I never got to fight any great heroes. I was not feared and admired in the old stories! But now that will change. The Titans shall honor me, and I shall feast on the flesh of half-bloods!"

On either side of him stood two armed security guys, some of the mortal mercenaries Harry had seen in D.C. Two more stood on the next boat dock over, just in case we tried to escape that way. There were tourists all around— walking down the waterfront, shopping at the pier above us—but I knew that wouldn't stop the manticore from acting.

"Where... where are the skeletons?" Percy asked the manticore. He sneered. "I do not need those foolish undead! The General thinks I am worthless? He will change his mind when I defeat you myself!"

...

Percy needed time to think. He had to save Bessie. Harry was currently incapacitated – he could see the same hunger he had seen in Thalia's eyes in Harry's. Percy could dive into the sea, but how could he make a quick getaway with a five-hundred-pound cow serpent? And what about the others?

"We beat you once before," he said.

"Ha! You could barely fight me with a goddess on your side. And, alas... that goddess is preoccupied at the moment. There will be no help for you now."

Zoë notched an arrow and aimed it straight at the manticore's head. The guards on either side of us raised their guns.

"Wait!" Percy said. "Zoë, don't!"

The manticore smiled. "The boy is right, Zoë Nightshade. Put away your bow. It would be a shame to kill you before you witnessed Harry and Thalia's great victory."

"What are you talking about?" Thalia growled. She had her shield and spear ready.

"You have no control over us," Harry said in a voice that radiated menace. He had his finger over his ring.

"Surely it is clear," the manticore said. "This is both of your moment. This is why Lord Kronos brought you back to life –"

"Your lord is not the person who bought me to light," Harry sneered. I came to light on my own."

"But the fact that he allowed you to live is because of this reason," said Thorn. "If you didn't have a purpose, he would have killed you long ago, my boy. You – and Thalia – will sacrifice the Ophiotaurus. You will bring its entrails to the sacred fire on the mountain. Both of you will gain unlimited power. And for your sixteenth birthday, one of you will overthrow Olympus."

No one spoke. It made terrible sense. Thalia was only two days away from turning sixteen. She was a child of the Big Three. If Thalia resisted, there was obviously Harry. Even though there was many years before his turning sixteen, there could be a war for that much time, between the gods and the Titans, with Harry shooing the lot of them off with his power. He too, was a child of the Big Three. This was a choice, a terrible choice that could mean the end of the gods. It was just like the prophecy said. Percy wasn't sure if he felt relieved, horrified, or disappointed. He wasn't the prophecy kid after all. Doomsday was happening right now.

He waited for Thalia or Harry to tell the manticore off, but both of them hesitated. They looked completely stunned.

"You know it is the right choice," the manticore told them. "Luke recognized it. You shall be reunited with him. Harry, Luke is a perfect role model for you. This is the right choice. The three of you shall rule this world together under the auspices of the Titans. Both of your father abandoned you, Harry, Thalia. Has he ever spoken or done anything for you, Harry? He cares nothing for you. And now you shall gain power over him. Crush the Olympians underfoot, as they deserve. Call the beast! It will come to you. Use your spear and your sword."

"Thalia, Harry," Percy said, "snap out of it!"

They looked at him the same way they had the morning Thalia woke up on Half-Blood Hill, dazed and uncertain. It was almost like she didn't know him. Harry looked the same way, like the day Percy, Thalia, and Grover had rescued him from the Hydra, scared and confused.

"Your father helped you," Percy said. "He sent the metal angels. He turned you into a tree to preserve you. Harry, the reason why Zeus doesn't speak to you is that he can't show favoritism, or he would definitely have spoken to you. He didn't want to introduce you to this dangerous world, that is why he didn't tell you before that he was your father."

Thalia's hand tightened on the shaft of her spear and Harry touched the ruby on his ring, making it morph into Harry's long and dangerous looking steel sword, Gryffindor. But he still looked uncertain. Percy looked at Grover desperately. He understood. He raised his pipes to his mouth and played a quick riff. The manticore yelled, "Stop him!"

And all Hades broke loose.

* * *

 **This most likely will be the second-last chapter before the Titan's Curse part ends. One chapter mostly will be Harry, Percy and Annabeth resting at Camp Half-Blood before Goblet of Fire starts.** **Anyway, hope you liked the chapter.**

 **I am answering reviews by PM now, so I will be answering only guest reviews like this.**

...

 **Poll counts - Two for Katie Bell and one for Parvati Patil.**

...

 **A. Mine is Minerva McGonagall!**

 **Q. What were Voldemort's Horcruxes?**

...

PassionBeautyFreedom


	10. Atlas, Zoe and the Hesperides

Chapter 10 – Atlas, Zoe and the Hesperides

Before the guards could register that the pipe-ey kid was a bigger problem than the arrow-ey one, wooden planks at their feet sprouted new branches and tangled their legs. Zoe let loose two quick arrows that exploded at their feet in clouds of sulfurous yellow smoke. The guards started coughing. The manticore shot spines in Percy and his group's direction, but they ricocheted off Harry's lion's coat.

"Grover," Percy said, "tell Bessie to stay underwater!"

"Moooooo!" Grover translated. Percy hoped that the Ophiotaurus got the message.

"The cow..." Harry muttered, still in a daze.

"Come on!" Percy pulled him and Thalia along as they ran up the stairs to the shopping centre on the pier. They dashed around the corner of the nearest store. Percy heard the manticore shouting at his minions, "Get them!"

Tourists screamed as the guards shot blindly into the air. Harry, Percy and Thalia scrambled to the end of the pier. They hid behind a little kiosk filled with souvenir crystals. There was a water fountain next to them. Down below, a bunch of sea lions were sunning themselves on the rocks. The whole of San Francisco Bay spread out before them: the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, and the green hills and fog beyond that to the north. A picture-perfect moment, except for the fact that they were going to die and the world was going to end.

"Go over the side!" Zoe told Percy. "You can escape in the sea, Percy. Call on thy father for help. Maybe you can save the Ophiotaurus."

She was right, but Percy couldn't do it. "I won't leave you guys," I said. "We fight together."

"You have to get word to camp!" Grover said. "At least let them know what's going on!"

Then he noticed the crystals making rainbows in the sunlight. There was a drinking fountain next to him… "Get word to camp," he muttered. "Good idea."

Percy uncapped Riptide and slashed off the top of the water fountain. Water burst out of the busted pipe and sprayed all over them. Thalia and Harry gasped as the water hit them. The fog seemed to clear from their eyes.

"Are you crazy?" Thalia asked. But Grover understood. He was already fishing around in his pockets for a coin. He threw a golden drachma into the rainbows created by the mist and yelled, "O goddess, accept my offering!" The mist rippled.

"Camp Half-Blood!" Percy said. And there, shimmering in the Mist right next to them, was the last person he wanted to see: Mr D, wearing his leopard-skin jogging suit and rummaging through the refrigerator.

He looked up lazily. "Do you mind?"

"Where's Chiron!" Percy shouted.

"How rude." Mr D took a swig from a jug of grape juice. "Is that how you say hello?"

"Hello," he amended. "We're about to die! Where's Chiron?"

Mr D considered that. Percy wanted to scream at him to hurry up, but he knew that wouldn't work. Behind them, footsteps and shouting—the manticore's troops were closing in.

"About to die," Mr D mused. "How exciting. I'm afraid Chiron isn't here. Would you like me to take a message?"

Percy looked at his friends. "We're dead."

Thalia gripped her spear. She looked like her old angry self again. "Then we'll die fighting."

Harry, who hadn't said anything, looked up. "I have a destiny to fulfil, people. I can't die. But, well, to protect you all, any lengths." Percy wanted to laugh, but a choked sound came out. Harry was his sarcastic self again. Harry took out his dagger (Gryffindor had disappeared).

"How noble," Mr D said, stifling a yawn. "So what is the problem, exactly?"

Percy didn't see that it would make any difference, but he told him about the Ophiotaurus.

"Mmm." He studied the contents of the fridge. "So that's it. I see."

"You don't even care!" Harry screamed. "You'd just as soon watch us die!"

"Let's see. I think I'm in the mood for pizza tonight."

Percy wanted to slash through the rainbow and disconnect, but he didn't have time. The manticore screamed, "There!" And they were surrounded. Two of the guards stood behind him. The other two appeared on the roofs of the pier shops above us. The manticore threw off his coat and transformed into his true self, his lion claws extended and his spiky tail bristling with poison barbs.

"Excellent," he said. He glanced at the apparition in the mist and snorted. "Alone, without any real help. Wonderful."

"You could ask for help," Mr D murmured to him as if this were an amusing thought. "You could say please."

 _When wild boars fly. There is no damned way that I am going to die begging a slob like Mr D, just so he can laugh as we all get gunned down._ Zoe readied her arrows. Grover lifted his pipes. Harry, who was looking pissed off at the loss of his sword, had his dagger ready. Thalia raised her shield, and Percy noticed a tear running down her cheek. Suddenly it occurred to him: this had happened to her before. She had been cornered on Half-Blood Hill. She'd willingly given her life for her friends. But this time, she couldn't save them. How could he let that happen to her?

"Please, Mr D," Percy muttered. "Help."

Obviously, nothing happened. The manticore grinned. "Spare the children of Zeus. They will join us soon enough. Kill the others."

The men raised their guns, and something strange happened. Blood rushed to his head, as he hung upside down and suddenly turned right side up. There was a rush like that all around him, and a sound like a huge sigh. The sunlight tinged with purple. Percy smelled grapes and something sourer—wine. SNAP! It was the sound of many minds breaking at the same time. The sound of madness. One guard put his pistol between his teeth like it was a bone and ran around on all fours. Two others dropped their guns and started waltzing with each other. The fourth began doing what looked like an Irish clogging dance. It would have been funny if it hadn't been so terrifying.

"No!" screamed the manticore. "I will deal with you myself!"

His tail bristled, but the planks under his paws erupted into grape vines, which immediately began wrapping around the monster's body, sprouting new leaves and clusters of green baby grapes that ripened in seconds as the manticore shrieked, until he was engulfed in a huge mass of vines, leaves, and full clusters of purple grapes. Finally, the grapes stopped shivering, and Percy had a feeling that somewhere inside there, the manticore was no more.

"Well," said Dionysus, closing his refrigerator. "That was fun."

Percy stared at him, horrified. "How could you... How did you—"

"Such gratitude," he muttered. "The mortals will come out of it. Too much explaining to do if I made their condition permanent. I hate writing reports to Father."

He stared resentfully at Thalia and Harry. "I hope both of you learned your lesson, kids. It isn't easy to resist power, is it?"

Both Harry and Thalia blushed as if they were ashamed.

"Mr D," Grover said in amazement. "You... you saved us."

"Mmm. Don't make me regret it, satyr. Now get going, Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. I've bought you a few hours at most."

"The Ophiotaurus," Harry said. "Can you get it to camp?"

Mr D sniffed. "I do not transport livestock. That's your problem."

"But where do we go?"

Dionysus looked at Zoë. "Oh, I think the huntress knows. You must enter at sunset today, you know, or all is lost. Now good-bye. My pizza is waiting."

"Mr D," Percy said.

He raised his eyebrow.

"You called me and Harry by our right names," he said. "You called us Harry Potter and Percy Jackson."

"I most certainly did not, Peter Johnson and Harold Peters. Now off with you!" He waved his hand, and his image disappeared in the mist. All around them, the manticore's minions were still acting completely nuts. The guards were harassing the tourists, making animal noises and trying to steal their shoes.

Percy looked at Zoë. "What did he mean... 'You know where to go'?"

Her face was the colour of the fog. She pointed across the bay, past the Golden Gate. In the distance, a single mountain rose up above the cloud layer.

"The garden of my sisters," she said. "I must go home."

...

"We will never make it," Zoë said. "We are moving too slow. But we cannot leave the Ophiotaurus."

"Mooo," Bessie mooed dramatically as if to emphasize the point. He swam next to Percy as they jogged along the waterfront. They were heading toward the Golden Gate Bridge, but it was a lot farther than Percy had thought. The sun was already setting.

"I don't get it," Percy said. "Why do we have to get there at sunset?"

"The Hesperides are the nymphs of the sunset," Zoë said. "We can only enter their garden as day changes to night."

"What happens if we miss it?" Harry asked.

"Tomorrow is winter solstice. If we miss sunset tonight, we would have to wait until tomorrow evening. And by then, the Olympian Council will be over. We must free Lady Artemis tonight."

Or Annabeth will be dead, Percy thought, but he didn't say that. He knew that Harry was looking at him, trying to catch a glimpse of his eyes. He turned away so that that wouldn't happen.

"We need a car," Thalia said.

"But what about Bessie?" Percy asked.

Grover stopped in his tracks. "I've got an idea! The Ophiotaurus can appear in different bodies of water, right?"

"Well, yeah," Percy said. "I mean, he just popped into the water at Hoover Dam. And now he's here."

"So maybe we could coax him back to Long Island Sound," Grover said. "Then Chiron could help us get him to Olympus."

"But he was following us," Harry said. "If we're not there, would he know where he's going?"

"Moo," Bessie said forlornly.

"I... I can show him," Grover said. "I'll go with him."

Percy stared at him. Grover was no fan of the water. He'd almost drowned last summer in the Sea of Monsters, and he couldn't swim very well with his goat hooves. "I'm the only one who can talk to him," Grover said. "It makes sense."

He bent down and said something in Bessie's ear. Bessie shivered, then made a contented, lowing sound. "The blessing of the Wild," Grover said. "That should help with safe passage. Percy, pray to your dad, too. See if he will grant us safe passage through the seas."

Percy didn't understand how they could possibly swim back to Long Island from California. Then again, monsters didn't travel the same way as humans. He had seen plenty of evidence of that. He tried to concentrate on the waves, the smell of the ocean, the sound of the tide.

"Dad," Percy said. "Help us. Get the Ophiotaurus and Grover safely to camp. Protect them at sea."

"A prayer like that needs a sacrifice," Thalia said. "Something big."

Percy thought, but couldn't think of anything.

"I'll do it," said Harry. He took the lion skin off his shoulders.

"Harry," Grover said. "Are you sure? That lion skin... that's really helpful. Hercules used it!"

As soon as he said that, Percy realized something. He glanced at Zoë, who was watching him – and Harry – carefully. He looked at Harry, who was now trying to look into Zoe's eyes. He realized that he did know who Zoë's hero had been—the one who'd ruined her life, gotten her kicked out of her family, and never even mentioned how she'd helped him: Hercules, a hero he'd admired all my life.

"If I'm going to survive," Harry said, who turned away and looked as if he got what he needed, "it won't be because I've got a lion-skin cloak. I'm not Hercules."

He threw the coat into the bay. It turned back into a golden lion skin, flashing in the light. Then, as it began to sink beneath the waves, it seemed to dissolve into the sunlight on the water. The sea breeze picked up. Grover took a deep breath.

"Well, no time to lose."

He jumped in the water and immediately began to sink. Bessie glided next to him and let Grover take hold of his neck.

"Be careful," Percy told them.

"We will," Grover said. "Okay, um... Bessie? We're going to Long Island. It's east. Over that way."

"Moooo?" Bessie said.

"Yes," Grover answered. "Long Island. It's this island. And... it's long. Oh, let's just start."

"Mooo!" Bessie lurched forward. He started to submerge and Grover said, "I can't breathe underwater! Just thought I'd mention—"

Glub!

Under they went, and Percy hoped his father's protection would extend to little things, like breathing.

"Well, that is one problem addressed," Zoë said. "But how can we get to my sisters' garden?"

"Thalia's right," Harry said. "We need a car. But there's nobody to help us here. Unless we, uh, borrowed one."

Harry didn't look like he wasn't the greatest fan of that option. Neither was Percy. It _was_ a life-or-death situation, but still, it was stealing, and it was bound to get them noticed.

"Wait," Thalia said. She started rifling through her backpack. "There is somebody in San Francisco who can help us. I've got the address here somewhere."

"Who?" Harry asked. Thalia pulled out a crumpled piece of notebook paper and held it up. "Professor Chase. Annabeth's dad."

…

After hearing about Percy's opinions about Professor Chase, Harry expected him to have devil horns and fangs. He _certainly_ was not expecting him to be wearing an old fashioned aviator's cap and goggles. He looked so weird, with his eyes bugging out through the glasses, that they all took a step back on the front porch.

"Hello," he said in a friendly voice. "Are you delivering my aeroplanes?"

Thalia, Zoë, Percy and Harry looked at each other warily.

"Um, no, sir," Percy said.

"Drat," he said. "I need three more Sopwith Camels."

"Right," Harry said reluctantly. "We're _… friends_ of Annabeth."

"Annabeth?"

He straightened as if Harry had just given him an electric shock.

"Is she all right? Has something happened?"

None of them answered, but their faces must've told him that something was very wrong. He took off his cap and goggles. He had sandy-coloured hair and intense brown eyes. He was handsome, for an older guy but it looked like he hadn't shaved in a couple of days, and his shirt was buttoned wrong, so one side of his collar stuck up higher than the other side.

"You'd better come in," he said. It didn't look like a house they'd just moved into. There were LEGO robots on the stairs and two cats sleeping on the sofa in the living room. The coffee table was stacked with magazines, and a little kid's winter coat was spread on the floor. The whole house smelled like fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies. There was jazz music coming from the kitchen. It seemed like a messy, happy kind of home — the kind of place that had been lived in forever.

"Dad!" a little boy screamed. "He's taking apart my robots!"

"Bobby," Dr Chase called absently, "don't take apart your brother's robots."

"I'm Bobby," the little boy protested. "He's Matthew!"

"Matthew," Dr Chase called, "don't take apart your brother's robots!"

"Okay, Dad!"

Dr Chase turned to Harry, Percy, Zoe and Thalia. "We'll go upstairs to my study. This way."

"Honey?" a woman called.

Annabeth's stepmom appeared in the living room, wiping her hands on a dish towel. She was a pretty Asian woman with red highlighted hair tied in a bun. "Who are our guests?" she asked.

"Oh," Dr Chase said. "This is..." He stared at us blankly.

"Frederick," she chided. "You forgot to ask them their names?"

They introduced themselves a little uneasily, but Mrs Chase seemed really nice. She asked if they were hungry. Percy admitted that they were, and she told them that she'd bring them some cookies and sandwiches and sodas.

"Dear," Dr Chase said. "They came about Annabeth."

Harry half expected Mrs Chase to turn into a raving lunatic at the mention of her stepdaughter, but she just pursed her lips and looked concerned.

"All right. Go on up to the study and I'll bring you some food." She smiled at Percy. "Nice meeting you, Percy. I've heard a lot about you."

Upstairs, Harry, Percy, Zoe and Thalia walked into Dr Chase's study and Harry said, "Whoa!"

The room was wall-to-wall books, but what really caught his attention were the war toys. There was a huge table with miniature tanks and soldiers fighting along a blue painted river, with hills and fake trees and stuff. Old-fashioned biplanes hung on strings from the ceiling, tilted at crazy angles like they were in the middle of a dogfight.

Dr Chase smiled. "Yes. The Third Battle of Ypres. I'm writing a paper, you see, on the use of Sopwith Camels to strafe enemy lines. I believe they played a much greater role than they've been given credit for." He plucked a biplane from its string and swept it across the battlefield, making aeroplane engine noises as he knocked down little German soldiers.

"Oh, right," Percy said. Harry knew that Annabeth's dad was a professor of military history. But he didn't think that she ever mentioned to Percy that she had a dad who played with war toys. Zoë came over and studied the battlefield. "The German lines were farther from the river."

Dr Chase stared at her. "How do you know that?"

"I was there," she said matter-of-factly. "Artemis wanted to show us how horrible war was, the way mortal men fight each other. And how foolish, too. The battle was a complete waste."

Dr Chase opened his mouth in shock. "You—"

"She's a Hunter, sir," Thalia said. "But that's not why we're here. We need —"

"You saw the Sopwith Camels?" Dr Chase said. "How many were there? What formations did they fly?"

"Sir," Thalia broke in again. "Annabeth is in danger." That got his attention. He set the biplane down. "Of course," he said. "Tell me everything."

It wasn't easy, but they tried. Meanwhile, the afternoon light was fading outside. They were running out of time. When they had finished, Dr Chase collapsed in his leather recliner. He laced his hands. "My poor brave Annabeth. We must hurry."

"Sir, we need transportation to Mount Tamalpais," Zoë said. "And we need it immediately."

"I'll drive you. Hmm, it would be faster to fly in my Camel, but it only seats two."

"Whoa, you have an actual biplane?" Harry said.

"Down at Crissy Field," Dr Chase said proudly. "That's the reason I had to move here. My sponsor is a private collector with some of the finest World War I relics in the world. He let me restore the Sopwith Camel—"

"Sir," Thalia said. "Just a car would be great. And it might be better if we went without you. It's too dangerous."

Dr Chase frowned uncomfortably. "Now wait a minute, young lady. Annabeth is my daughter. Dangerous or not, I... I can't just—"

"Snacks," Mrs Chase announced. She pushed through the door with a tray full of peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches and Cokes and cookies fresh out of the oven, the chocolate chips still gooey. Thalia, Harry and Percy inhaled a few cookies while Zoë said, "I can drive, sir. I'm not as young as I look. I promise not to destroy your car."

Mrs Chase knit her eyebrows. "What's this about?"

"Annabeth is in danger," Dr Chase said. "On Mount Tam. I would drive them, but... apparently, it's no place for mortals." It sounded like it was really hard for him to get that last part out. Harry waited for Mrs Chase to say no _. What mortal parent would allow four underage teenagers to borrow their car?_ To his surprise, Mrs Chase nodded. "Then they'd better get going."

"Right!" Dr. Chase jumped up and started patting his pockets. "My keys..."

His wife sighed. "Frederick, honestly. You'd lose your head if it weren't wrapped inside your aviator hat. The keys are hanging on the peg by the front door."

"Right!" Dr. Chase said.

Zoë grabbed a sandwich. "Thank you both. We should go. Now."

They hustled out the door and down the stairs, the Chases right behind us.

"Percy, Harry," Mrs. Chase called as Harry was leaving, "tell Annabeth... Tell her she still has a home here, will you? Remind her of that."

Percy walked back inside, to get his fill of the house. It was homely. The messy living room, Annabeth's half-brothers arguing, the cookies… Not a bad place. It was definitely better than the Dursleys' spotless hall, and cold atmosphere.

"We'll tell her," Percy promised.

They ran out to the yellow VW convertible parked in the driveway. The sun was going down. Harry figured they had less than an hour to save Annabeth and Artemis and find the mystery doomsday monster.

"Can't this thing go any faster?" Thalia demanded.

Zoë glared at her. "I cannot control traffic."

"You both sound like my mother," Percy said.

"Shut up!" they said in unison.

Zoë weaved in and out of traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge. The sun was sinking on the horizon when we finally got into Marin County and exited the highway. The roads were insanely narrow, winding through forests and up the sides of hills and around the edges of steep ravines. Zoë didn't slow down at all.

"Why does everything smell like cough drops?" Harry asked.

"Eucalyptus." Zoë pointed to the huge trees all around us.

"The stuff koala bears eat?"

"And monsters," she said. "They love chewing the leaves. Especially dragons."

"Dragons chew eucalyptus leaves?" As far as Harry knew (and he knew a lot), dragons simply didn't have the need to eat eucalyptus.

"Believe me," Zoë said, "if you had dragon breath, you would chew eucalyptus too." Harry didn't question her, but he did keep his eyes peeled more closely as we drove. Ahead of them loomed what Percy had said was Mount Tamalpais.

"So that's called… the Mountain of Despair?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Zoë said tightly.

"Why do they call it that?"

She was silent for almost a mile before answering. "After the war between the Titans and the gods, many of the Titans were punished and imprisoned. Kronos was sliced to pieces and thrown into Tartarus. Kronos's right-hand man, the general of his forces, was imprisoned up there, on the summit, just beyond the Garden of the Hesperides."

"The General," Percy nodded. Clouds seemed to be swirling around its peak, as though the mountain was drawing them in, spinning them like a top. "What's going on up there? A storm?"

Zoë didn't answer. I got the feeling she knew exactly what the clouds meant, and she didn't like it.

"We have to concentrate," Thalia said. "The Mist is really strong here."

"The magical kind or the natural kind?" Percy asked.

"Both."

The gray clouds swirled even thicker over the mountain, and they drove straight toward them. They were out of the forest now, into wide open spaces of cliffs and grass and rocks and fog. Harry happened to glance down at the ocean as they passed a scenic curve, and he saw something that made me jump out of my seat. "Look!" But they turned a corner and the ocean disappeared behind the hills.

"What?" Percy asked.

"A big white ship," Harry said. "Docked near the beach. It looked like a cruise ship. It looked like that picture you showed me of… that ship. _The Princess Andromeda._ " Percy's, and Thalia's who was listening in, eyes widened.

"Luke's ship?"

Harry wanted to say he wasn't sure. It might be a coincidence. Secondly, he had never seen the ship in real life. Only a picture. But a nagging voice told him what he didn't want to know. He knew what he had seen, and he was 101 percent sure. The Princess Andromeda, Luke's demon cruise ship, was docked at that beach. That's why he'd sent his ship all the way down to the Panama Canal. It was the only way to sail it from the East Coast to California.

"We will have company, then," Zoë said grimly. "Kronos' army."

Harry was about to answer, when suddenly the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Thalia shouted, "Stop the car. NOW!"

Zoë must've sensed something was wrong, because she slammed on the brakes without question. The yellow VW spun twice before coming to a stop at the edge of the cliff.

"Out!" Thalia opened the door and pushed Percy and Harry hard. The three of them rolled onto the pavement. The next second: BOOOM! Lightning flashed, and Dr. Chase's Volkswagen erupted like a canary-yellow grenade. Harry and Percy probably would've been killed by shrapnel except for Thalia's shield, which appeared over them. Harry heard a sound like metal rain, and when he opened his eyes, they were surrounded by wreckage. Part of the VW's fender had impaled itself in the street. The smoking hood was spinning in circles. Pieces of yellow metal were strewn across the road. He swallowed the taste of smoke out of his mouth, and looked at Thalia. "You saved our lives."

"One shall perish by a parent's hand," she muttered. "Curse him. He would destroy me? Or Harry? Us?"

"I can't believe he still wants to kill me," Harry mumbled. He was used to hearing about a great dad who gave his life for him and his mother, and look – his second father was _much more_ better.

"Oh, hey, that couldn't have been Zeus's lightning bolt. No way." Percy said.

"Whose, then?" Harry demanded.

"I don't know. Zoë said Kronos' name. Maybe he—" Thalia shook her head, looking angry and stunned. Harry was pissed. "No. That wasn't it."

"Wait," Percy said. "Where's Zoë? Zoë!"

The three of them got up and ran around the blasted VW. Nothing inside. Nothing either direction down the road. Harry looked down the cliff. No sign of her. "Zoë!" Harry shouted. Then she was standing right next to him, pulling him by his arm. "Silence, fool! Do you want to wake Ladon?"

"You mean we're here?"

"Very close," she said. "Follow me."

Sheets of fog were drifting right across the road. Zoë stepped into one of them, and when the fog passed, she was no longer there. Thalia, Percy and Harry looked at each other.

"Concentrate on Zoë," Thalia advised. "We are following her. Go straight into the fog and keep that in mind."

"Wait, Thalia, Harry. About what happened back on the pier... I mean, with the manticore and the sacrifice—"

…

"Wait, Thalia, Harry. About what happened back on the pier... I mean, with the manticore and the sacrifice—" Percy said.

"I don't want to talk about it." Harry said matter-of-factly.

"You wouldn't actually have... you know?" Percy asked again.

Harry hesitated. "I was just shocked. That's all."

"Zeus didn't send that lighting bolt at the car. It was Kronos. He's trying to manipulate you, make you angry at your dad."

Thalia took a deep breath. "Percy, I know you're trying to make us feel better. Thanks. But come on. We need to go." She and Harry stepped into the fog, into the Mist, and Percy followed. When the fog cleared, he was still on the side of the mountain, but the road was dirt. The grass was thicker. The sunset made a bloodred slash across the sea. The summit of the mountain seemed closer now, swirling with storm clouds and raw power. There was only one path to the top, directly in front of them. If it hadn't been for the enormous dragon, the garden would've been the most beautiful place Percy had ever seen. The grass shimmered with silvery evening light, and the flowers were such brilliant colors they almost glowed in the dark. Stepping stones of polished black marble led around either side of a five-story-tall apple tree, every bough glittering with golden apples. Percy would have taken one, except for the dragon coiled around it. The serpent's body was as thick as a booster rocket, glinting with coppery scales. He had more heads than any of them could count, as if a hundred deadly pythons had been fused together. He appeared to be asleep. The heads lay curled in a big spaghetti-like mound on the grass, all the eyes closed. Then the shadows in front of us began to move. There was a beautiful, eerie singing, like voices from the bottom of a well. Percy reached for Riptide, but Zoë stopped his hand. Four figures shimmered into existence, four young women who looked very much like Zoë. They all wore white Greek chitons. Their skin was like caramel. Silky black hair tumbled loose around their shoulders.

"The Hesperides," Harry whispered, his hand on his dagger. They looked just like Zoë—gorgeous, and probably very dangerous.

"Sisters," Zoë said.

"We do not see any sister," one of the girls said coldly. "We see three half-bloods and a Hunter. All of whom shall soon die."

"You've got it wrong." Percy stepped forward. "Nobody is going to die."

The girls studied him. They had eyes like volcanic rock, glassy and completely black. "Perseus Jackson," one of them said.

"Yes," mused another. "I do not see why he is a threat."

"Who said I was a threat?"

The first Hesperid glanced behind her, toward the top of the mountain. "They fear thee. They are unhappy that these two have not yet killed thee." She pointed at Harry and Thalia.

"Tempting sometimes," Harry admitted. "But no, thanks. He's my friend."

"There are no friends here, son of Zeus," the girl said. "Only enemies. Go back."

"Not without Annabeth," Thalia said.

"And Artemis," Zoë said. "We must approach the mountain."

"You know he will kill thee," the girl said. "You are no match for him."

"Artemis must be freed," Zoë insisted. "Let us pass."

The girl shook her head. "You have no rights here anymore. We have only to raise our voices and Ladon will wake."

"He will not hurt me," Zoë said.

"No? And what about thy so-called friends?"

Then Zoë did the last thing Percy expected. She shouted, "Ladon! Wake!" The dragon stirred, glittering like a mountain of pennies. The Hesperides yelped and scattered.

The lead girl said to Zoë, "Are you mad?"

"You never had any courage, sister," Zoë said. "That is thy problem."

The dragon Ladon was writhing now, a hundred heads whipping around, tongues flickering and tasting the air. Zoë took a step forward, her arms raised.

"Zoë, don't," Thalia said. "You're not a Hesperid anymore. He'll kill you."

"Ladon is trained to protect the tree," Zoë said. "Skirt around the edges of the garden. Go up the mountain. As long as I am a bigger threat, he should ignore thee."

"Should," Harry said. "Not exactly reassuring."

"It is the only way," she said. "Even the four of us together cannot fight him."

Ladon opened his mouths. The sound of a hundred heads hissing at once sent a shiver down Percy's back, and that was before his breath hit him. The smell was like acid. It made his eyes burn, his skin crawl, and his hair stand on end. He wanted to draw my sword. But then he remembered his dream of Zoe and Hercules, and how Hercules had failed in a head-on assault. He decided to trust Zoe's judgment. Thalia went left. Harry flew over. Percy went right. Zoe walked straight toward the monster.

"It's me, my little dragon," Zoe said. "Zoe has come back."

Ladon shifted forward, then back. Some of the mouths closed. Some kept hissing. Dragon confusion. Meanwhile, the Hesperides shimmered and turned into shadows. The voice of the eldest whispered, "Fool."

"I used to feed thee by hand," Zoe continued, speaking in a soothing voice as she stepped toward the golden tree. "Do you still like lamb's meat?"

The dragon's eyes glinted. Thalia and I were about halfway around the garden. Harry was already on the other side. Ahead, Percy could see a single rocky trail leading up to the black peak of the mountain. The storm swirled above it, spinning on the summit like it was the axis for the whole world. They'd almost made it out of the meadow when something went wrong. He felt the dragon's mood shift. Maybe Zoë got too close. Maybe the dragon realized he was hungry. Whatever the reason, he lunged at Zoë. Two thousand years of training kept her alive. She dodged one set of slashing fangs and tumbled under another, weaving through the dragon's heads as she ran in otheir direction, gagging from the monster's horrible breath. Percy drew Riptide to help.

"No!" Zoë panted. "Run!"

The dragon snapped at her side, and Zoë cried out. Thalia uncovered Aegis, and the dragon hissed. In his moment of indecision, Zoë sprinted past us up the mountain, and they followed. The dragon didn't try to pursue. He hissed and stomped the ground, but he was well trained to guard that tree. He wasn't going to be lured off, even by the tasty prospect of eating some heroes. They ran up the mountain as the Hesperides resumed their song in the shadows behind us. The music didn't sound so beautiful — more like the sound track for a funeral. At the top of the mountain were ruins, blocks of black granite and marble as big as houses. Broken columns. Statues of bronze that looked as though they'd been half melted.

"The ruins of Mount Othrys," Thalia whispered in awe.

"Yes," Zoë said. "It was not here before. This is bad."

"What's Mount Othrys?" Percy asked, feeling like a fool.

"The mountain fortress of the Titans, isn't it?" Harry asked.

Percy felt ashamed. Here he was, a person with two summers of Greek training – and Harry, a guy with only one, knew more about him.

Zoe nodded. "In the first war, Olympus and Othrys were the two rival capitals of the world. Othrys was—" She winced and held her side.

"You're hurt," Harry said. "Let me see."

"No! It is nothing. I was saying . . . in the first war, Othrys was blasted to pieces."

"But . . . how is it here?" Thalia looked around cautiously as we picked our way through the rubble, past blocks of marble and broken archways. "It moves in the same way that Olympus moves. It always exists on the edges of civilization. But the fact that it is here, on this mountain, is not good."

"Why?"

"This is Atlas's mountain," Zoë said. "Where he holds—" She froze. Her voice was ragged with despair. "Where he used to hold up the sky."

They had reached the summit. A few yards ahead of us, gray clouds swirled in a heavy vortex, making a funnel cloud that almost touched the mountaintop, but instead rested on the shoulders of a twelve-year-old girl with auburn hair and a tattered silvery dress: Artemis, her legs bound to the rock with celestial bronze chains. "My lady!" Zoë rushed forward, but Artemis said, "Stop! It is a trap. You must leave now." Her voice was strained. She was drenched in sweat. Percy had never seen a goddess in pain before, but the weight of the sky was clearly too much for Artemis. Zoë was crying. She ran forward despite Artemis's protests, and tugged at the chains. A booming voice spoke behind them: "Ah, how touching."

They turned. The General was standing there in his brown silk suit. At his side were Luke and half a dozen dracaenae bearing the golden sarcophagus of Kronos. Annabeth stood at Luke's side. She had her hands cuffed behind her back, a gag in her mouth, and Luke was holding the point of his sword to her throat. Harry met her eyes, trying to read it. Percy didn't have the power, but one thing he could understand – RUN.

"Luke," Thalia snarled. "Let her go."

Luke's smile was weak and pale. He looked even worse than he had three days ago in D.C.

"That is the General's decision, Thalia. But it's good to see you again." He looked at Harry. "Harry Potter, son of Zeus. Dude, you need to understand. Has Zeus _ever_ done anything for you? He didn't even tell you, send you a sign, that you were his son. The Olympians, such brats. Come to our side, Lord Kronos' side, He will give you all the recognition you will ever want."

Harry's hand tightened over his dagger. His eyes were flashing. He was doing a great job at being intimidating. But what worried Percy was that he didn't say anything. Harry was the sort of person who would give a snappy comeback, and not stay quiet. Percy put his hand on Harry's shoulder. His eyes came back to Earth. He looked at Luke, but still didn't say anything.

Thalia spat at Luke. The General chuckled. "So much for old friends. And you, Zoë. It's been a long time. How is my little traitor? I will enjoy killing you." He looked at Harry. "My dear boy. Come to our side. You will be recognized. _Come_." The last word was an intimidating hiss.

"Do not respond," Artemis groaned. "Do not challenge him."

"Wait for a second," Percy said. "You're Atlas?"

The General glanced at him. "So, even the stupidest of heroes can finally figure something out. Yes, I am Atlas, the general of the Titans and terror of the gods. Congratulations. I will kill you presently, as soon as I deal with this wretched girl."

"You're not going to hurt Zoë," Percy said. "I won't let you."

The General sneered. "You have no right to interfere, little hero. This is a family matter."

Harry frowned. "A family matter?"

"Yes," Zoë said bleakly. "Atlas is my father."

...

 **Yo. Applause to you all who finished this chapter. You all deserve a chocolate each. Anyway, REVIEW!**

 **PS - I'm sorry if some of you are getting annoyed that nothing _different_ is happening from the books. I personally like a good AU, and even I am getting pissed off at myself for being unable to change stuff. Sorry again!**

 **Review answering-**

 **{All private messaged}**

...

 **A. Tom Riddle's diary, Marvolo Gaunt's ring, Salazar Slytherin's locket, Helga Hufflepuff's cup, Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem, Voldemort's snake Nagini, Voldemort's nemesis Harry Potter.**

 **Q. What do you think will be Harry's fatal flaw? It will be revealed when Percy's is.**

...

 **Poll counts - 3 for Katie Bell, 1 for Parvati Patil, 1 for Hermione Granger**

...

PassionBeautyFreedom


	11. Destined for Greatness

Chapter 11 - Destined for Greatness

Harry looked between Zoe and Atlas. The resemblance was obvious now – everything he had disliked about Zoe. The regal and proud look was there in his eyes, but a thousand times eviler.

"Let Artemis go," Zoë demanded.

Atlas walked closer to the chained goddess. "Perhaps you'd like to take the sky for her, then? Be my guest."

Zoë opened her mouth to speak, but Artemis said, "No! Do not offer, Zoë! I forbid you."

Atlas smirked. He knelt next to Artemis and tried to touch her face, but the goddess bit at him, almost taking off his fingers.

"Hoo-hoo," Atlas chuckled. "You see, daughter? Lady Artemis likes her new job. I think I will have all the Olympians take turns carrying my burden, once Lord Kronos rules again, and this is the centre of our palace. It will teach those weaklings some humility."

Harry looked at who Percy had said was Annabeth. She was pretty – no doubt. But what Percy's description had said was that her hair was _bright honey-blonde_ and not _dull ash-blonde_. Her hair was streaked with grey. She was looking intently at Percy – trying to tell him something. Harry shook his head internally. If she had looked into _his_ eyes, they could have gotten somewhere. She motioned her head toward Luke. Harry couldn't understand, and by his look, Percy couldn't understand either.

"Does holding the sky make your hair grey?" Harry asked Thalia quietly.

"Yes," she murmured. "The weight should've killed her."

"I don't understand," Percy said. "Why can't Artemis just let go of the sky?"

Atlas laughed. "How little you understand, young one. This is the point where the sky and the earth first met, where Ouranos and Gaia first brought forth their mighty children, the Titans. The sky still yearns to embrace the earth. Someone must hold it at bay, or else it would crash down upon this place, instantly flattening the mountain and everything within a hundred leagues. Once you have taken the burden, there is no escape." Atlas smiled. "Unless someone else takes it from you."

He approached them, studying Thalia, Percy and Harry. "The best heroes of the age… Grace and Jackson." He looked at Harry. "Though your reign has just started, it's fairly obvious that a child of Zeus who has lightning in his _blood_ ," Harry flinched, _how does he know?_ "would be enough powerful… Though fighting _me_ , Atlas will definitely be a challenge for you."

"Fight us," Percy said. "And let's see."

"Have the gods taught you nothing? An immortal does not fight a mere mortal directly. It is beneath our dignity. I will have Luke crush you instead."

"So you're another coward," Percy retorted. Atlas's eyes glowed with hatred. With difficulty, he turned his attention to Thalia.

"As for you, daughter of Zeus, it seems Luke was wrong about you."

"I wasn't wrong," Luke managed. He looked terribly weak, and he spoke every word as if it were painful. Even though Percy spoke about him badly, Harry felt sorry for him. "Thalia, you still can join us. Call the Ophiotaurus. It will come to you. Look!" He waved his hand, and next to the foursome a pool of water appeared: a pond ringed in black marble, big enough for the Ophiotaurus. Harry could imagine Bessie in that pool.

"Thalia, call the Ophiotaurus," Luke persisted. "And you will be more powerful than the gods." He turned to Harry. "Harry Potter… You are destined for greatness. You can do it! Call the Ophiotaurus! Call it!"

Harry glared at him and shook his head angrily. Thalia looked on the verge of breaking down.

"Luke..." Her voice was full of pain. "What happened to you?"

"Don't you remember all those times we talked? All those times we cursed the gods? Our fathers have done nothing for us. They have no right to rule the world!"

Thalia shook her head. "Free Annabeth. Let her go."

"If you join me," Luke promised, "it can be like old times. The three of us together. Fighting for a better world. Please, Thalia, if you don't agree..." His voice faltered. "It's my last chance. He will use the other way if you don't agree. Please."

Harry didn't know what he meant, but the fear in his voice sounded real enough. It was obvious that Luke was in danger. His life depended on Thalia's - or Harry's - joining his cause. And, problem was that Thalia's resistance might falter.

"Do not, Thalia," Zoë warned. "We must fight them."

Luke waved his hand again, and fire appeared. A bronze brazier, just like the one at camp. A sacrificial flame.

"Thalia," Harry said. "No."

Behind Luke, the golden sarcophagus began to glow. As it did, Harry saw images in the mist all around them: black marble walls rising, the ruins becoming whole, a terrible and beautiful palace rising around us, made of fear and shadow.

"We will raise Mount Othrys right here," Luke promised, in a strained voice. "Once more, it will be stronger and greater than Olympus. Look, Thalia. We are not weak." He pointed toward the ocean, and Harry's heart fell. Marching up the side of the mountain, from the beach where Princess Andromeda was docked, was a great army. Dracaenae and Laestrygonians, monsters and half-bloods, hellhounds, harpies, and other things he couldn't even name.

"This is only a taste of what is to come," Luke said. "Soon we will be ready to storm Camp Half-Blood. And after that, Olympus itself. All we need is your help." He looked at Harry. "Harry. _Please_."

For a terrible moment, Thalia hesitated. She gazed at Luke, her eyes full of pain as if the only thing she wanted in the world was to believe him. Then she levelled her spear. "You aren't Luke. I don't know you anymore."

"Yes, you do, Thalia," he pleaded. "Please. Don't make me . . . Don't make him destroy you."

There was no time. If that army got to the top of the hill... Some were already coming - that was certain. But still, ten or so monsters, Harry could manage. If the whole set came... they would all definitely be overwhelmed. Annabeth met Percy's eyes and nodded. She turned to Harry, who was for a moment mesmerized by her stormy grey eyes (which had a great resemblance to Malfoy's). She nodded grimly at him. He understood and looked at Thalia, Percy and Zoë, and he decided it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to die fighting with friends like this.

"Now," Percy said.

…

Together, Percy and his friends charged. Thalia went straight for Luke. Harry materialized Gryffindor. But then, he did what Percy never expected. With his left hand, he took his dagger. _I have never heard of fighting with two swords. The guy is inventing stuff. Is it related to the Ares legacy part?_ Harry ran at two Dracaenae, which had arrived with a few other monsters. Percy did a quick head count. There were three Dracenae - with a Laestrygonian and four Empousae. Nine. Harry could manage them, he hoped. With a series of slashes and jabs, Harry vaporized both the Dracenae. Percy felt better. _Harry can manage them. But how did they get a head start before the other monsters? No time to think about that now._ Harry started shooting lightning at other monsters.

Thalia, with her shield, raced at Luke. He was alone. Luke was still quick with his sword. He snarled like a wild animal and counterattacked. When his sword, Backbiter, met Thalia's shield, a ball of lightning erupted between them, frying the air with yellow tendrils of power. Percy attacked the Titan Lord Atlas, which was probably the stupidest thing he had done in his life. Atlas laughed as he approached. A huge javelin appeared in his hands. His silk suit melted into full Greek battle armour. "Go on, then!"

"Percy!" Zoë said. "Beware!"

Percy knew what she was warning him about. Chiron had told him long ago: Immortals are constrained by ancient rules. But a hero can go anywhere, challenge anyone, as long as he has the nerve. Once he attacked, however, Atlas was free to attack back directly, with all his might. Percy swung his sword, and Atlas knocked him aside with the shaft of his javelin. Percy flew through the air and slammed into a black wall. It wasn't Mist anymore. The palace was rising, brick by brick. It was becoming real.

…

"Fool!" Atlas screamed gleefully, swatting aside one of Zoë's arrows. "Did you think, simply because you could challenge that petty war god, that you could stand up to me?" At Atlas' words, Harry quickly slashed across the _E_ _mpousa_ and turned at him.

Harry's jaw fell open. Percy – the idiot – was running towards Atlas with his sword raised. _I have to agree with Atlas – Percy definitely_ has _acted foolishly._ Harry watched in horror as Atlas slashed towards Percy. He ducked and missed it. He bought up his sword – definitely planning to cut off the javelin.

The single Laestrygonian came stomping towards him, which tore his gaze away from Percy. Harry, remembering his wand, pointed his sword toward the giant and released lightning, a method which he had never used before. He was pleased by his success – the lightning pierced straight through the Laestrygonian.

Harry looked back at Percy. The guy was trying to get towards the pool of water. But something was strange around Riptide's aura – Harry could feel it. It looked strange, dark – and reminded Harry about the aura around Ares. _Why isn't Percy slashing that damned sword?_ He was struggling, trying to lift it. _Riptide isn't heavy – I know that for myself -_

"NO!"

Atlas' javelin hit Percy in his chest and sent him flying. Before Harry could run to help him, a Dracaena slashed at him. Before Harry could deflect the blow, the knife caught him in the arm.

"OW!" The pain was unbearable – it felt like his arm was falling apart. "YOU!"

Harry's pain gave way to anger. He raced after the Dracaena, somehow telling it apart from the other Dracaena. When he reached it, he threw it on the floor. "Aargh!" He jabbed at it, making it disintegrate and vanish. The pain felt a little better – maybe after getting revenge. Harry sighed. He looked back to where Percy had been fighting Atlas. _What?_ Percy was not fighting with Atlas anymore – _Artemis_ was. _What? How?_ He looked at the person holding the sky, and his jaw dropped. _What in effing Zeus' name is he doing there?_ Percy caught him looking and gave him a weak smile. Harry ran to take the load away but an Empousa stood in his way. He finished it but another one came. It was as if all the monsters wanted him to stay away from Percy. He roared in anger and was about to send lightning at all the monsters but suddenly, something in his brain snapped.

 _The prophecy… ah._ The Titan's Curse must one withstand – obviously. Since Percy took the weight before Harry did, it meant that only he would take the weight. Harry was feeling guilty. If he had taken it before Percy did, he wouldn't have to withstand the weight. He looked around for Thalia and Zoe. Thalia and Luke were fighting like demons. Artemis was a blur of silver, with two hunting knives, fighting with grace. She kept changing form – gazelle, deer… Zoë was shooting arrows at Atlas, finding the weak chinks in his armour. It wasn't doing anything to stop him, but he kept getting madder. Harry ran to Thalia and Luke. Getting the power of numbers was one important thing. He reached them, but the remaining monsters - a dracaena, and two Empousae - started chasing him, convinced that he was the single most dangerous thing out there, beside Atlas, of course. He smiled. He didn't like killing people, but when it came to monsters, there was a weird sort of satisfaction.

"We'll see."

He started fighting with his full vigour, killing the dracaena and sending lightning at the Empousae. One was destroyed. Harry gave a grin. _Awesome._ Not even one monster had reached close to him. He wasn't harmed – other than the long slash which ran from his shoulder to his elbow. As he fought the last Empousa (He thought Empousae used seductive tactics - but this one was undoubtedly good in fighting), he tried to keep the Ares-like aura away from him. He couldn't bear it. The aura was starting to surround him, the aura of death. He was pretty sure he wasn't a son of Hades, to give away death like that. _Maybe an Ares thing._ But it was irritating. The Empousa, though, wasn't backing away. _Argh. Does this damned aura have any advantages? Doesn't seem so._ He tried to look at Atlas and Artemis from the corner of his eye, still giving most of his concentration on the Empousa ( _why in Zeus' name isn't this thing dying?_ ). Atlas was advancing, pressing Artemis. She was fast, but his strength was unstoppable. His javelin slammed into the earth where Artemis had been a split second before, and a fissure opened in the rocks. He leapt over it and kept pursuing her. She was leading him to Percy. Harry, with all his energy and will, gave a final jolt of lightning at the Empousa and it disintegrated. Harry ran towards Atlas and Artemis.

"You fight well for a girl." Atlas laughed. "But you are no match for me." He feinted with the tip of his javelin and Artemis dodged. Harry saw the trick and smiled. _Good, cunning, Artemis._

Atlas's javelin swept around and knocked Artemis's legs off the ground. She fell, and Atlas brought up his javelin tip for the kill.

"No!" Zoë screamed. She leapt between her father and Artemis and shot an arrow straight into the Titan's forehead, where it lodged like a unicorn's horn. Atlas bellowed in rage. He swept aside his daughter with the back of his hand, sending her flying into the black rocks.

"Zoe!" Harry yelled. He was torn – Zoe or Percy? He decided Zoe and ran for her aid. He was almost about to reach her when –

"The first blood in a new war."

Harry's blood froze. _No!_ "I am sorry, Zoe," he whispered. "I'm so sorry." Saying, he ran back to Percy.

"Dude, stay conscious. You need to conscious for this!" Percy was sweating badly and looking as if he was fainting. Harry, in a split-second decision, almost slashed through the chains but before he could do it, he felt Atlas flying towards him. He moved out quickly. Percy, too, rolled away. The weight of the sky dropped on Atlas' back, almost smashing him flat until he managed to get to his knees, struggling to get out from under the crushing weight of the sky. But it was too late.

"Noooooo!" He bellowed so hard it shook the mountain. "Not again!"

Atlas was trapped under his old burden. Percy tried to stand. Harry put his arm around his shoulders and helped him up. He was shocked by how tired Percy was. "Was it difficult?" He murmured to Percy. "Holding the sky?"

"Thanks for the concern, Harry," Percy said weakly. "It was, I'm afraid. I can't believe Annabeth did this."

"She has a lot of will," Harry replied as he looked at the fight between Luke and Thalia. She was backing Luke to the edge of a cliff, but still, they fought on, next to the golden coffin. Thalia had tears in her eyes. Luke had a bloody slash across his chest and his pale face glistened with sweat. He lunged at Thalia and she slammed him with her shield. Luke's sword spun out of his hands and clattered to the rocks. Thalia put her spear point to his throat. For a moment, there was silence.

"Well?" Luke asked. He tried to hide it, but fear was there in his voice. Thalia trembled with fury. Behind her, the girl called Annabeth came scrambling, finally free from her bonds. Her face was bruised and streaked with dirt. "Don't kill him!"

Even without his mind-reading powers, Harry could say that she had feelings for Luke.

"He's a traitor," Thalia said. "A traitor!"

"Where's Artemis?" Percy asked.

"She's gone, to Zoe," said Harry.

"We'll bring Luke back," Annabeth pleaded. "To Olympus. He . . . he'll be useful."

"Is that what you want, Thalia?" Luke sneered. "To go back to Olympus in triumph? To please your dad?" Thalia hesitated, and Luke made a desperate grab for her spear.

"No!" Annabeth shouted. But it was too late. Without thinking, Thalia kicked Luke away. He lost his balance, terror, on his face, and then he fell.

"Luke!" Annabeth screamed. Harry, still holding Percy, rushed to the cliff's edge. The rest of the Princess Andromeda army had stopped. They were staring at Luke's broken form on the rocks. Even though Harry disliked him, he didn't want him _dead_.

One of the giants looked up and growled, "Kill them!"

Thalia was stiff with grief, tears streaming down her cheeks. Harry pulled her back as a wave of javelins sailed over their heads. Harry, Percy, Thalia and Annabeth ran for the rocks, ignoring the curses and threats of Atlas as they passed.

"Artemis!" Percy yelled. The goddess looked up, her face almost as grief-stricken as Thalia's. Zoë lay in the goddess's arms. She was breathing. Her eyes were open. But still...

"The wound is poisoned," Artemis said.

"Atlas poisoned her?" Percy asked.

"No," the goddess said. "Not Atlas." She showed us the wound in Zoë's side. Harry had almost forgotten her scrape with Ladon the dragon. The bite was much worse than Zoë had let on. He could barely look at the wound. She had charged into battle against her father with a horrible cut already sapping her strength.

"The stars," Zoë murmured. "I cannot see them."

"Zoe, I'm sorry," Harry murmured, tears glistening in his eyes. "If I had come to you and helped, I'm sure this wouldn't have… I'm so sorry."

"Thee couldn't have, Harry," said Zoe. "Thee couldn't have done anything."

"Nectar and ambrosia. Come on! We have to get her some."

No one moved. Grief hung in the air. The army of Kronos was just below the rise. Even Artemis was too shocked to stir.

A strange buzzing noise was heard. Just as the full army of monsters came over the hill, a Sopwith Camel swooped down out of the sky.

"Get away from my daughter!" Dr Chase called down, and his machine guns burst to life, peppering the ground with bullet holes and startling the whole group of monsters into scattering.

"Dad?" yelled Annabeth in disbelief.

"Run!" he called back, his voice growing fainter as the biplane swooped by. This shook Artemis out of her grief. She stared up at the antique plane, which was now banking around for another strafe. "A brave man," Artemis said with grudging approval. "Come. We must get Zoë away from here." She raised her hunting horn to her lips, and its clear sound echoed down the valleys of Marin. Zoë's eyes were fluttering.

"Hang in there!" Harry told her. "It'll be all right!" The Sopwith Camel swooped down again. A few giants threw javelins, and one flew straight between the wings of the plane, but the machine guns blazed. Harry couldn't help thinking how similar Albus Dumbledore and Frederick Chase's brains were. Both were mad at the heights of their intelligence. He realized that somehow Dr. Chase must've gotten hold of celestial bronze to fashion his bullets. The first row of snake women wailed as the machine gun's volley blew them into a sulfurous yellow powder.

"That's... my dad!" Annabeth said in amazement.

No one had time to admire his flying. The giants and Dracenae were already recovering from their surprise. Dr Chase would be in trouble soon. Just then, the moonlight brightened, and a silver chariot appeared from the sky, drawn by extremely beautiful deer. It landed right next to them.

"Get in," Artemis said. Annabeth helped Percy get Thalia on board.

"Harry, your arm…" Percy said, looking apprehensive.

Harry looked at his arm. Most of the blood had dried. It didn't look _too_ horrifying.

"Will treat it with Ambrosia later," said Harry. It didn't escape his notice that Artemis was looking at him, grudgingly impressed. He then helped Artemis with Zoe. He and Percy wrapped Zoë in a blanket as Artemis pulled the reins and the chariot sped away from the mountain, straight into the air.

"Like Santa Claus's sleigh," Harry murmured, fascinated. Artemis took time to look back at him.

"Indeed, young half-blood. And where do you think that legend came from?"

Seeing them safely away, Dr Chase turned his biplane and followed them like an honour guard. It must have been one of the strangest sights ever, even for the Bay Area: a silver flying chariot pulled by deer, escorted by a Sopwith Camel. Behind the group, the army of Kronos roared in anger as they gathered on the summit of Mount Tamalpais, but the loudest sound was the voice of Atlas, bellowing curses against the gods as he struggled under the weight of the sky.

* * *

 **This is the second-last chapter of the Titan's Curse. I'm so excited! I changed the POV to Harry's in this one cause Percy's POV would just mean copy-pasting everything, which I _absolutely_ hate. ****I let nine monsters come up quickly (behind the scenes - they were allowed a head start from Luke and came up faster with Atlas) so that Harry could have someone to fight with. I had thoughts about having Harry holding up the sky, but well, that wasn't needed, so I didn't do it. Harry's fatal flaw will be revealed next chapter, but I guess you all know it, so anyway... REVIEW!**

 **Review answering -**

 **[All private messaged]**

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 **Poll counts - Four for Katie Bell, one for Parvati Patil and one for Hermione Granger.**

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 **A. (Lol!) Why should I reveal it now?**

 **Q. Who is Percy's least favourite Greek god?**

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PassionBeautyFreedom


	12. Othrys and Olympus

Chapter 12 – Othrys and Olympus

Percy and his _remaining_ friends landed at Crissy Field after nightfall. As soon as Dr. Chase stepped out of his Sopwith Camel, Annabeth ran to him and gave him a huge hug.

"Dad! You flew... you shot... oh, my gods! That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen!"

Her father blushed. "Well, not bad for a middle-aged mortal, I suppose."

"But the celestial bronze bullets - How did you get those?"

"Ah, well. You did leave quite a few half-blood weapons in your room in Virginia, the last time you... left."

Annabeth looked down, embarrassed. Percy appreciated that Dr. Chase was careful enough not to say ran away.

"I decided to try melting some down to make bullet casings," he continued. "Just a little experiment."

He said it like it was no big deal, but he had a gleam in his eye. Percy could understand all of a sudden why Athena, Goddess of Crafts and Wisdom, had taken a liking to him. He was an excellent mad scientist at heart. He looked at Harry, who had a knowing smile.

"Dad..." Annabeth faltered.

"Annabeth, Percy, Harry," Thalia interrupted. Her voice was urgent.

She and Artemis were kneeling at Zoë's side, binding the huntress's wounds. Harry, Annabeth, and Percy ran over to help, but there wasn't much we could do. They had no ambrosia or nectar. No regular medicine would help. It was dark, but Percy could clearly see that Zoë didn't look good. She was shivering, and the faint glow that usually hung around her was fading.

"Can't you heal her with… magic?" Harry asked Artemis. "Um..."

Artemis looked at him with a critical eye, as though she was studying him. "Life is a fragile thing, Harry. If the Fates will the string to be cut, there is little I can do. But I can try."

She tried to set her hand on Zoë's side, but Zoë gripped her wrist. She looked into the goddess's eyes, and some kind of understanding passed between them. "Have I... served thee well?" Zoë whispered.

"With great honor," Artemis said softly. "The finest of my attendants."

Zoë's face relaxed. "Rest. At last."

"I can try to heal the poison, my brave one."

Percy knew that the poison wasn't the only thing killing her. It was her father's final blow. Zoë had known all along that the Oracle's prophecy was about her: she would die by a parent's hand. And yet she'd taken the quest anyway. Atlas's fury had broken her inside.

She saw Thalia and took her hand. "I am sorry we argued," Zoë said. "We could have been sisters."

"It's my fault," Thalia said, blinking hard. "You were right about Luke, about heroes, men—everything."

"Perhaps not all men," Zoë murmured. She smiled weakly at Harry and Percy. "Do you still have the sword, Percy?"

…

Harry blinked rapidly to keep the tears out of his eyes as Percy made a choked sound and put Riptide in her hand. Zoe grasped it contentedly.

"You spoke the truth, Percy Jackson. You are nothing like . . . like Hercules. I am honored that you carry this sword." A shudder ran through her body.

"Zoë—" Harry said.

"Stars," she whispered. "I can see the stars again, my lady." A tear trickled down Artemis's cheek. "Yes, my brave one. They are beautiful tonight."

"Stars," Zoë repeated. Her eyes fixed on the night sky. And she did not move again. Thalia lowered her head. Annabeth gulped down a sob, and her father put his hands on her shoulders. Harry's eyes widened as Artemis cupped her hand above Zoë's mouth and spoke a few words in Ancient Greek. He turned away and gulped. _Zoe…_ Harry didn't know why, but Zoe's death seemed to hit him harder than his own parents'. _That can be excused… I didn't see it. This is how… death… looks like._ A silvery wisp of smoke exhaled from Zoë's lips and was caught in the hand of the goddess. Zoë's body shimmered and disappeared. Artemis stood, said a kind of blessing, breathed into her cupped hand and released the silver dust to the sky. It flew up, sparkling, and vanished. For a moment Harry didn't see anything different. Then Annabeth gasped. Looking up, Harry saw that the stars were brighter. They made a pattern he had never noticed before (this was coming from the person who had studied astronomy)—a gleaming constellation that looked a lot like a girl's figure—a girl with a bow, running across the sky.

"Let the world honor you, my Huntress," Artemis said. "Live forever in the stars."

It wasn't easy saying goodbye. The thunder and lightning were still boiling over Mount Tamalpais in the north. Artemis was so upset she flickered with silver light. Harry, as much as he could without making Artemis suspicious, kept his eyes away as he didn't want to die by seeing a goddess in her true form. He could see it in his mind's eye. _Name: Harry James Potter. Cause of death: not certified, only pieces found._

"I must go to Olympus immediately," Artemis said. "I will not be able to take you, but I will send help."

The goddess set her hand on Annabeth's shoulder. "You are brave beyond measure, my girl. You will do what is right." Then she looked quizzically at Thalia as if she weren't sure what to make of this younger daughter of Zeus. Thalia seemed reluctant to look up, but something made her, and she held the goddess's eyes. I wasn't sure what passed between them, but Artemis's gaze softened with sympathy.

Then she turned to Percy. "You did well," she said. "For a man." I wanted to protest. But then I realized it was the first time she hadn't called me a boy.

She turned to Harry. He tried to not show his nervousness in his face. "I don't know much about you, but I know enough to say that you are _destined for greatness._ " Harry looked down. _There. Even she said it. Do these gods or titans know more about me than I myself do?_

Artemis mounted her chariot, which began to glow. Harry and the others averted their eyes. There was a flash of silver, and the goddess was gone.

"Well," Dr. Chase sighed. "She was impressive; though I must say I still prefer Athena."

Annabeth turned toward him. "Dad, I . . . I'm sorry that—"

"Shh." He hugged her. "Do what you must, my dear. I know this isn't easy for you." His voice was a little shaky, but he gave Annabeth a brave smile.

The whoosh of large wings was heard. Four pegasi descended through the fog: two white-winged horses, one pure black, and one dark brown.

"Blackjack!" Percy called. Harry looked at him quizzically.

"My Pegasus," said Percy. He turned to the black one. "It was rough."

"What?"

"Uh, it's a Poseidon thing. I can speak to horses," he admitted.

Harry rolled his eyes. "So I can speak to _eagles_ or something?"

"Maybe. Nah, these are my friends. We need to get to Olympus pretty fast."

Harry shook his head. "Man, do you mind telling what the Hades these effing horses are telling?"

"Nah, he just said that he bought these other pegasi, Guido, Porkpie and Themyscira along with him and he also asked me if I wanted him to beat you all up… and now he is saying that you can't come, Dr. Chase."

"Thanks for dissuading him," Harry said dryly.

"Dr. Chase is not," Percy told him.

The professor was staring openmouthed at the pegasi. "Fascinating," he said. "Such maneuverability! How does the wingspan compensate for the weight of the horse's body, I wonder?"

The Pegasus cocked his head.

"Why, if the British had had these pegasi in the cavalry charges on the Crimea," Dr. Chase said, "the charge of the light brigade—"

"Dad!" Annabeth interrupted.

Dr. Chase blinked. He looked at his daughter and managed a smile. "I'm sorry, my dear. I know you must go." He gave her one last awkward, well-meaning hug. As she turned to climb aboard the Pegasus Guido, Dr. Chase called, "Annabeth. I know . . . I know San Francisco is a dangerous place for you. But please remember, you always have a home with us. We will keep you safe."

Annabeth didn't answer, but her eyes were red as she turned away. Dr. Chase started to say more, then apparently thought better of it. He raised his hand in a sad farewell and trudged away across the dark field. Harry, Thalia, and Annabeth and Percy mounted their pegasi. Harry got the one called Themyscira, which reminded him of Wonder Woman. They soared over the bay and flew toward the eastern hills. There was always an occasional flicker of lightning in the north.

Thalia was so exhausted she fell asleep on Porkpie's back. Harry knew she had to be really tired to sleep in the air, despite her fear of heights, but she didn't have much to worry about. Her Pegasus flew with ease, adjusting himself every once in a while, so Thalia stayed safely on his back. Annabeth and Percy flew side by side, and Harry knew well that he didn't give a damn about what they were talking about, so he didn't fly close to them. He needed some 'me time'. He took a deep breath. The five days in which he had adventured with Percy and the others had been so hectic. He remembered Ron, Hermione, Hogwarts, Dumbledore, and practically _everything_ about the Wizarding World, a thing he didn't have time to think about the five days. He groaned, thinking about the rest of the holidays with the _Dursleys_ , of all people. Still, about three weeks was left with the Dursleys. He wasn't interested in going back. _But Sirius might have sent letters to me, and the others might have too. Even though they don't act like it, the Dursleys should be at least a_ little _worried about me, shouldn't they?_ He felt sad about leaving Percy and the others. But still, what had to happen, would definitely happen.

"There it is." Thalia's voice; she'd woken up. She was pointing toward Manhattan, which was quickly zooming into view. "It's started."

"What's started?" I asked. Then I looked where she was pointing. High above the Empire State Building, Olympus was its own island of light, a floating mountain ablaze with torches and braziers, white marble palaces gleaming in the early morning air.

"The winter solstice," Thalia said. "The Council of the Gods."

…

Harry looked in amazement at the marvelous sight in front of him. Mount Olympus was _grand_ – with thunder and lightning swirling around it. The pegasi swirled over midtown Manhattan, making one complete orbit around Mount Olympus.

"This is so awesome!" Harry yelled at Percy. "Have you been here before?"

"Only once," said Percy, who was looking at the grand place. "But not like this. I went through the Empire State Building – through the elevator."

Harry didn't have time to ask what he meant. He was mesmerized again. The twisting streets of Mount Olympus were full of demigods and nature spirits and minor godlings bustling about, riding chariots or sedan chairs carried by Cyclopes. Winter didn't seem to exist. Harry caught the scent of the gardens in full bloom, jasmine and roses and even sweeter things he couldn't name. Music drifted up from many windows, the soft sounds of lyres and reed pipes. Towering at the peak of the mountain was the greatest palace of all, the glowing white hall of the gods.

The pegasi set them down in the outer courtyard, in front of huge silver gates. Before Harry could knock, the gates opened by themselves.

"Yeah," said Percy suddenly. Harry turned to him and saw him looking at the Pegasus, Blackjack. He guessed that Blackjack had told him something. Harry was feeling an aura again, it didn't make him very happy. An aura of doom.

Harry had only seen Ares and Artemis, and never any other god. Not even his father. He knew that the gods didn't like him. Anyone of them could blast him to dust.

Blackjack and his friends flew off, leaving Thalia, Annabeth, Percy, and Harry alone. For a minute they stood there regarding the palace. And then, side by side, the four of them walked into the throne room. Twelve enormous thrones made a U around a central hearth, just like the placement of the cabins at camp. The ceiling above glittered with constellations —even the newest one, Zoë the Huntress, making her way across the heavens with her bow drawn. All of the seats were occupied. Each god and goddess were about fifteen feet tall, and Harry gulped. The Empousae, Laestrygonian, and Dracaenae he had fought at Mount Othrys felt like eating a cake.

"Welcome, heroes," Artemis said.

"Mooo!"

That's when Harry noticed the Ophiotaurus and Grover. A sphere of water was hovering in the center of the room, next to the hearth fire. The Ophiotaurus was swimming happily around, swishing his serpent tail and poking his head out the sides and bottom of the sphere. He seemed to be enjoying the novelty of swimming in a magic bubble. Grover was kneeling at Zeus's throne as if he'd just been giving a report, but when he saw them, he cried, "You made it!" He started to run toward Percy, then remembered he was turning his back on Zeus and looked for permission.

"Go on," Zeus said. But he wasn't really paying attention to Grover. The lord of the sky was staring intently at Thalia and Harry (Harry was having a good look at him, the father he had never seen).

Grover trotted over. None of the gods spoke. Every clop of Grover's hooves echoed on the marble floor. The Ophiotaurus splashed in his bubble of water. Percy looked nervously at the god who was wearing _beach shorts, a Hawaiian shirt, and sandals._ Harry never knew gods could dress like that. What he had imagined was a lot of buff looking guys and pretty ladies dressed in Greek clothes and dressed for war. Harry wished his father had been Poseidon instead of Zeus. Poseidon looked kind, and had smile lines, unlike Zeus, who was staring intently at him and Thalia, which made him nervous.

Grover gave Harry, Annabeth and Thalia big hugs. Then he grasped Percy's arms.

"Percy, Bessie and I made it! But you have to convince them! They can't do it!"

"Do what?" Percy asked.

"Heroes," Artemis called. The goddess slid down from her throne and turned to human size, a young auburn-haired girl, perfectly at ease in the midst of the giant Olympians. She walked toward them, her silver robes shimmering. There was no emotion in her face. She seemed to walk in a column of moonlight.

"The Council has been informed of your deeds," Artemis told us. "They know that Mount Othrys is rising in the West. They know of Atlas's attempt for freedom and the gathering armies of Kronos. We have voted to act."

There was some mumbling and shuffling among the gods as if they weren't all happy with this plan, but nobody protested.

"At my Lord Zeus's command," Artemis said, "my brother Apollo and I shall hunt the most powerful monsters, seeking to strike them down before they can join the Titans' cause. Lady Athena shall personally check on the other Titans to make sure they do not escape their various prisons. Lord Poseidon has been given permission to unleash his full fury on the cruise ship Princess Andromeda and send it to the bottom of the sea. And as for you, my heroes..."

She turned to face the other immortals. "These half-bloods have done Olympus a great service. Would any here deny that?" She looked around at the assembled gods. Harry's father, Zeus in his dark pin-striped suit, his black beard neatly trimmed, and his eyes sparkling with energy. He turned his attention from Harry to Artemis. _Luckily._ Next to him sat a beautiful woman with silver hair braided over one shoulder and a dress that shimmered colors like peacock feathers. The Lady Hera. On Zeus's right, the kind-looking god, Poseidon. Next to him, a huge lump of a man with a leg in a steel brace, a misshapen head, and a wild brown beard, fire flickering through his whiskers. The Lord of the Forges, Hephaestus. Hermes winked at Harry. He was wearing a business suit, checking messages on his caduceus mobile phone. Apollo leaned back in his golden throne with his shades on. He had iPod headphones on, so I wasn't sure he was even listening, but he gave Percy a thumbs up. Dionysus looked bored, twirling a grapevine between his fingers. And Ares, well, he sat on his chrome-and leather throne, glowering at Harry and Percy while he sharpened a knife. On the ladies' side of the throne room, a dark-haired goddess in green robes sat next to Hera on a throne woven of apple-tree branches. Demeter, Goddess of the Harvest. Next to her sat a beautiful gray-eyed woman in an elegant white dress. She could only be Annabeth's mother, Athena. Then there was Aphrodite, who smiled at Percy knowingly and made him blush. Harry elbowed him.

"I gotta say"—Apollo broke the silence— "these kids did okay." He cleared his throat and began to recite: "Heroes win laurels—"

"Um, yes, first class," Hermes interrupted like he was anxious to avoid Apollo's poetry. "All in favor of not disintegrating them?"

A few tentative hands went up— Demeter, Aphrodite.

"Wait just a minute," Ares growled. He pointed at Harry, Thalia, and Percy. "Father, you should have told us earlier that you had got… new spawn." The whole fire of his glare was directed at Harry.

Zeus looked at him. And then at Harry. "I… You shouldn't have been born… _son._ "

"You admit it?" Poseidon asked him. "Peace is all I want, brother. But still, you admit that you sired a _second_ child against our oath?"

Zeus turned away, unable to meet his brother's eyes. "I… admit it. It was a mistake."

Harry's eyes widened. His father… Telling him that he shouldn't have been born. Telling that he was a mistake. That was the last thing that he had expected. "How did you know my mother… Lord?" He put emphasis on the last word.

"The gods don't have power outside America much," Zeus grumbled. But seeing Harry looking intently at him, his gaze softened, a bit. "So, I was just wandering in Britain, as a normal human, with a different appearance. Then, I met this lady… she was really pretty. Almost made me forget who I was. Red hair, with almond-shaped emerald green eyes."

Harry nodded. His mother… Lily Potter.

"But what I didn't like much was that she had a man standing next to her, a man with messy hair and hazel eyes. Good-looking." Zeus looked angry. "He was the one who complicated this, all of this. Even though I had taken the oath, I couldn't keep my mind off her and her emerald eyes. I forgot myself." He stopped. Harry guessed it was because of the disgusting way he had applied.

"What about… that cyclone?"

"What cyclone, boy?" Zeus was making a good show of looking confused.

To demonstrate, Harry extended his hand and concentrated on it. A ball of lightning and electricity appeared. He held his other hand and released the lightning into it. It didn't pain (kinda obvious, it was his own lightning). All the gods looked at him apprehensively.

"Lightning… in your blood? How's that possible?"

"A cyclone had almost killed me at Hoover Dam," said Harry dryly. "It gave me these powers."

"I didn't instigate it," Zeus said, for at least once not having a grumbly voice.

Harry looked into his eyes. Even though he didn't want to believe, Zeus looked sincere. _What? I thought… If he didn't do it, then who did?_

Athena spoke up. "If another force did this, most likely it is Kronos – he somehow gave Harry extra powers. If Harry shifts to the other side…"

"I won't," Harry said. "You can trust me." He turned to Zeus. "Did my mom know you were a god?"

"No."

"Did she _know_ you were someone else?"

Zeus suddenly looked at him, his eyes drilling into Harry's. Unfortunately, he couldn't read Zeus' mind. Mostly because he was a god. But Harry knew the answer already.

"Thank you, Lord Zeus. Father."

"Sorry to interrupt this talk," said Ares. "These three are dangerous. It'd be much safer, while we've got them here—"

"Ares," Poseidon interrupted, "they are worthy heroes. We will not blast my son to bits."

"Nor my _children_ ," Zeus grumbled. "They have done well."

Harry smiled. He had never seen his father, much less had a good talk with him, and even lesser, gotten a compliment.

Athena cleared her throat. "I am proud of my daughter as well. But there is a security risk here with the other three."

"Mother!" Annabeth said. "How can you—"

Athena cut her off with a firm look. "It is unfortunate that my father, Zeus, and my uncle, Poseidon, chose to break their oath not to have more children. Only Hades kept his word, a fact that I find ironic. As we know from the Great Prophecy, children of the three elder gods... such as Thalia, Harry and Percy... are dangerous. As thickheaded as he is, Ares has a point."

"Right!" Ares said. "Hey, wait a minute. Who you callin'—" He started to get up, but a grapevine grew around his waist like a seat belt and pulled him back down.

"Oh, please, Ares," Dionysus sighed. "Save the fighting for later."

Ares cursed and ripped away the vine. "You're one to talk, you old drunk. You seriously want to protect these brats?" Dionysus gazed down at them wearily. "I have no love for them. Athena, do you truly think it safest to destroy them?"

"I do not pass judgment," Athena said. "I only point out the risk. What we do, the Council must decide."

"I will not have them punished," Artemis said. "I will have them rewarded. If we destroy heroes who do us a great favor, then we are no better than the Titans. If this is Olympian justice, I will have none of it."

"Calm down, sis," Apollo said. "Jeez, you need to lighten up."

"Don't call me sis! I will reward them."

"Well," Zeus grumbled. "Perhaps. But the monster at least must be destroyed. We have agreement on that?"

"Bessie? You want to destroy Bessie?" Percy asked with a frown.

"Mooooooo!" Bessie protested.

Poseidon frowned. "You have named the Ophiotaurus Bessie?"

Harry snorted.

"Dad," Percy said, "he's just a sea creature. A really nice sea creature. You can't destroy him."

Poseidon shifted uncomfortably. "Percy, the monster's power is considerable. If the Titans were to steal it, or—"

"You can't," Percy insisted. He looked at Zeus. "Controlling the prophecies never works. Isn't that true? Besides, Bess— the Ophiotaurus is innocent. Killing something like that is wrong. It's just as wrong as... as Kronos eating his children, just because of something they might do. It's wrong!" Zeus seemed to consider this. His eyes drifted to Thalia.

"And what of the risk? Kronos knows full well, if one of you were to sacrifice the beast's entrails, you would have the power to destroy us. Do you think we can let that possibility remain? You, my daughter, will turn sixteen on the morrow, just as the prophecy says."

"You have to trust them," Annabeth spoke up. "Sir, you have to trust them."

Zeus scowled. "Trust a hero?"

"Annabeth is right," Artemis said. "Which is why I must first make a reward. My faithful companion, Zoë Nightshade, has passed into the stars. I must have a new lieutenant. And I intend to choose one. But first, Father Zeus, I must speak to you privately." Zeus beckoned Artemis forward. He leaned down and listened as she spoke in his ear.

"Annabeth," Percy murmured.

"Don't." She frowned at him.

"What?"

"Look, I need to tell you something," Percy continued. "I couldn't stand it if... I don't want you to—"

"Shut up Percy," Harry muttered. "Don't puke on me."

"Harry's right," she said. "You look like you're going to be sick."

Artemis turned. "I shall have a new lieutenant," she announced. "If she will accept it."

"No," Percy murmured.

"Thalia," Artemis said. "Daughter of Zeus. Will you join the Hunt?" Stunned silence filled the room. Harry stared at Thalia, unable to believe what he was hearing. Annabeth smiled. Percy was looking at Thalia with his jaw on the floor. Annabeth squeezed Thalia's hand and let it go as if she'd been expecting this all along.

"I will," Thalia said firmly. Zeus rose, his eyes full of concern. "My daughter, consider well—"

"Father," she said. "I will not turn sixteen tomorrow. I will never turn sixteen. I won't let this prophecy be mine. I stand with my sister Artemis. Kronos will never tempt me again." She knelt before the goddess and began the words of the oath. "I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis. I turn my back on the company of men..."

Afterward, Thalia did something that surprised both Percy and Harry. She came over to them, smiled, and in front of the whole assembly, she gave Harry a sisterly hug.

"Hug required?" She asked Harry.

"Obviously." He grinned.

She broke apart from him and gave Percy a hug. He blushed. When she pulled away, Percy said, "Um... aren't you supposed to not do that anymore? Hug boys, I mean?"

"I'm honoring you, a friend and Harry, a brother," she corrected. "I must join the Hunt, Percy. I haven't known peace since... since Half-Blood Hill. I finally feel like I have a home. But both of you are heroes. You will be the one of the prophecy."

"Great," Percy muttered. "I'm proud to be your friend."

She hugged Annabeth, who was trying hard not to cry. Then she even hugged Grover, who looked ready to pass out, like somebody had just given him an all-you-can-eat enchilada coupon. Then Thalia went to stand by Artemis's side.

"Now for the Ophiotaurus," Artemis said.

"These two are still dangerous," Dionysus warned.

"The beast is a temptation to great power. Even if we spare the boys—"

"No." Percy looked around at all the gods. "Please. Keep the Ophiotaurus safe. My dad can hide him under the sea somewhere, or keep him in an aquarium here in Olympus. But you have to protect him."

"And why should we trust you?" rumbled Hephaestus.

"I'm only fourteen, and Harry is younger than me," Percy said. "If this prophecy is about me, that's two more years."

"Two years for Kronos to deceive you," Athena said. "Much can change in two years, my young hero."

"Mother!" Annabeth said, exasperated.

"It is only the truth, child. It is bad strategy to keep the animal alive. Or the kids."

Poseidon stood. "I will not have a sea creature destroyed if I can help it. And I can help it."

He held out his hand, and a trident appeared in it: a twenty-foot long bronze shaft with three spear tips that shimmered with blue, watery light. "I will vouch for the kids and the safety of the Ophiotaurus."

"You won't take it under the sea!" Zeus stood suddenly. "I won't have that kind of bargaining chip in your possession."

"Brother, please," Poseidon sighed. Zeus's lightning bolt appeared in his hand, a shaft of electricity that filled the whole room with the smell of ozone.

"Fine," Poseidon said. "I will build an aquarium for the creature here. Hephaestus can help me. The creature will be safe. We shall protect it with all our powers. The kids will not betray us. I vouch for this on my honor."

Zeus thought about this. "I vouch for the kids. All in favor?"

To Harry's surprise, a lot of hands went up. Dionysus abstained. So did Ares and Athena. But everybody else...

"We have a majority," Zeus decreed. "And so, since we will not be destroying these heroes... I imagine we should honor them. Let the triumph celebration begin!"

Harry had never been to any parties, but he could say that if this was a party, it was the best. The Nine Muses cranked up the tunes, and within time, Harry realized the music was whatever you wanted it to be: the gods could listen to classical and the younger demigods heard hip-hop or whatever, and it was all the same soundtrack. No arguments. No fights to change the radio station. Just requests to crank it up. Dionysus went around growing refreshment stands out of the ground, and a beautiful woman walked with him arm in arm—his wife, Ariadne from mythology. Dionysus looked happy for the first time.

…

Nectar and ambrosia overflowed from golden fountains, and platters of mortal snack food crowded the banquet tables. Golden goblets filled with whatever drink. It was like magic (pun definitely intended). Grover trotted around with a full plate of tin cans and enchiladas, and his goblet was full of double-espresso latte, which he kept muttering over like an incantation: "Pan! Pan!"

Gods kept coming over to congratulate Percy and Harry. Thankfully, they had reduced themselves to human size, so they didn't accidentally trample partygoers under their feet. Hermes started chatting with Percy and Harry, and he was so cheerful that they hated to tell him what had happened to his least-favorite son, Luke, but before he could even get up the courage, Hermes got a call on his caduceus and walked away. Apollo told said Percy (Harry had disappeared – _ah,_ escaped) could drive his sun chariot any time and if he ever wanted archery lessons—

"I'm no good at archery," Percy protested.

"Ah, nonsense," he said. "Target practice from the chariot as we fly over the U.S.? Best fun there is!"

Percy made excuses and wove through the crowds that were dancing in the palace courtyards. He was looking for Annabeth. Then a man's voice behind him said, "You won't let me down, I hope."

He turned and found Poseidon smiling at him. "Dad... hi."

"Hello, Percy. You've done well." His praise made Percy uneasy. It felt good, obviously, but he knew just how much he'd put himself on the line, vouching for him. It would've been a lot easier to let the others disintegrate him.

"I won't let you down," Percy promised.

Poseidon nodded. "Your friend Luke—"

"He's not my friend," Percy blurted out. Then he realized it was probably rude to interrupt. "Sorry."

"Your former friend Luke," Poseidon corrected. "He once promised things like that. He was Hermes's pride and joy. Just bear that in mind, Percy. Even the bravest can fall." He reduced his voice. "How about that new son of Zeus? Is he bothering you?"

"No!" Percy almost yelled. To hear someone making allegations like that about Harry… "He's awesome, dad!"

"What are his powers?"

"Um… flying, manipulating lightning from his blood as he had said. Um, he said he would try talking to eagles also." Percy snorted.

"He is powerful," said Poseidon. "Unnaturally powerful. The cyclone part bothers me. We don't want him becoming Luke 2.0."

"He fell pretty hard," Percy agreed. "He's dead."

Poseidon shook his head. "No, Percy. He is not."

Percy stared at him. "What?"

"I believe Annabeth told you this. Luke still lives. I have seen it. His boat sails from San Francisco with the remains of Kronos even now. He will retreat and regroup before assaulting you again. I will do my best to destroy his boat with storms, but he is making alliances with my enemies, the older spirits of the ocean. They will fight to protect him."

"How can he be alive?" Percy said. "That fall should've killed him!"

Poseidon looked troubled. "I don't know, Percy, but beware of him. He is more dangerous than ever. And the golden coffin is still with him, still growing in strength."

"What about Atlas?" Percy said. "What's to prevent him from escaping again? Couldn't he just force some giant or something to take the sky for him?"

His father snorted in derision. "If it were so easy, he would have escaped long ago. No, my son. The curse of the sky can only be forced upon a Titan, one of the children of Gaia and Ouranos. Anyone else must choose to take the burden of their own free will. Only a hero, someone with strength, a true heart, and great courage, would do such a thing. No one in Kronos's army would dare try to bear that weight, even upon pain of death."

"Luke did it," Percy said. "He let Atlas go. Then he tricked Annabeth into saving him and used her to convince Artemis to take the sky."

"Yes," Poseidon said. "Luke is . . . an interesting case."

Just then, Bessie started mooing from across the courtyard. Some demigods were playing with his water sphere, joyously pushing it back and forth over the top of the crowd.

"I'd better take care of that," Poseidon grumbled. "We can't have the Ophiotaurus tossed around like a beach ball. Be good, my son. We may not speak again for some time." And just like that, he was gone.

Percy was about to keep searching the crowd for Annabeth and Harry when another voice spoke. "Your father takes a great risk, you know." I found myself face-to-face with a gray-eyed woman who looked so much like Annabeth I almost called her that.

"Athena." Percy tried not to sound resentful, after the way she'd written me off in the council, but he didn't hide it very well.

She smiled dryly. "Do not judge me too harshly, half-blood. Wise counsel is not always popular, but I spoke the truth. You are dangerous."

"You never take risks?"

She nodded. "I concede the point. You may perhaps be useful. And yet . . . your fatal flaw may destroy us as well as yourself."

Percy's heart crept into his throat. A year ago, he and Annabeth had a talk about fatal flaws. Every hero had one. Hers, she said, was pride. She believed she could do anything . . . like holding up the world, for instance. Or saving Luke. But he didn't really know what his was. Athena looked almost sorry for him.

"Kronos knows your flaw, even if you do not. He knows how to study his enemies. Think, Percy. How has he manipulated you? First, your mother was taken from you. Then your best friend, Grover. Now my daughter, Annabeth." She paused, disapproving. "In each case, your loved ones have been used to lure you into Kronos's traps. Your fatal flaw is personal loyalty, Percy. You do not know when it is time to cut your losses. To save a friend, you would sacrifice the world. In a hero of the prophecy, that is very, very dangerous."

Percy balled his fists. "That's not a flaw. Just because I want to help my friends—"

"The most dangerous flaws are those which are good in moderation," she said. "Evil is easy to fight. Lack of wisdom... that is very hard indeed."

Percy wanted to argue, but he found he couldn't. Athena was pretty darn smart.

"I hope the Council's decisions prove wise," Athena said. "But I will be watching, Percy Jackson. I do not approve of your friendship with my daughter. I do not think it wise for either of you. And should you begin to waver in your loyalties..." She fixed him with her cold gray stare, and he realized what a terrible enemy Athena would make, ten times worse than Ares or Dionysus or maybe even my father. Athena would never give up. She would never do something rash or stupid just because she hated you, and if she made a plan to destroy you, it would not fail.

"Percy!" Annabeth said, running through the crowd. She stopped short when she saw who he was talking to. "Oh . . . Mom."

"I will leave you," Athena said. "For now."

She turned and strode through the crowds, which parted before her as if she were carrying Aegis.

"Was she giving you a hard time?" Annabeth asked.

"No," Percy said. "It's... fine."

She studied Percy with concern. She touched the new streak of gray in his hair that matched hers exactly— our painful souvenir from holding Atlas's burden. There was a lot he had wanted to say to Annabeth, but Athena had taken the confidence out of him. He felt like he'd been punched in the gut. _I do not approve of your friendship with my daughter._

"So," Annabeth said. "What did you want to tell me earlier?"

The music was playing. People were dancing in the streets.

Percy said, "I, uh, was thinking we got interrupted at Westover Hall. And... I think I owe you a dance." She smiled slowly.

"All right, Seaweed Brain." So he took her hand.

"Percy. I guess Harry's in trouble," said Annabeth suddenly.

"What?"

"Look." She pointed behind him.

He turned and shook his head. Harry was sitting on a chair, and the imposing form of Athena was in front of him. Harry looked scared and was shaking his head.

Percy and Annabeth rushed to his aid.

"Your flaw," Athena was saying. "I guess you know it."

"I – I don't. I don't know –"

"Mom! Leave him alone!" Annabeth insisted. Harry looked at her gratefully.

"He needs to know his flaw, Annabeth. It's important. A hero needs to know." She turned to Harry. "Your fatal flaw, Harry Potter, is your hero complex. To save even an unknown person, you'll run, without a plan. To save a known person, it is dangerous. Kronos can use both yours and Percy's flaws together. Hold a loved one, and Harry will run to his aid without anything, thus martyring himself, and Percy will sacrifice the whole world. Both of your flaws, when used together, are extremely dangerous. You need to learn to control your hero complex, Harry. Always think it through."

* * *

 **Forgive me if any of the gods act OOC.** **I will be fixing mistakes now and joining old chapters i.e revising the story from the start. Anyway, REVIEW and bye!**

 **Review answering -**

Guest chapter 10 . Nov 10

"...this guy" "which guy?" "damn, he's too observant" yeah... lol.  
That 'argument' was hella weak. Harry could've just said it was Godric, the owner of the sword.

 _ **I can't resist a laugh. Even if Harry said it was Godric, the conversation would go somehow like:**_

 _Percy: Which guy?_

 _Harry: Um... Godric Gryffindor, the owner of my sword._

 _Percy: You know him? And how do you know whether you can trust him?_

 _Harry: I don't know about the trusting part, but... um... he was the leader of my house in my school._

 _Percy: Is he_ dead _?_

 _Harry: Yup._

 _Percy: How does he know about this god stuff?_

 _Harry: He was a son of Ares._

 _Percy: Hmm. What school?_

 _Harry: Hogwarts School._

 _Percy: Hog-warts? That school exists?_

 _Harry: Um..._

 ** _Even if Harry had said Godric, the conversation would definitely end with an argument about the wizarding world. Anyway, accepting the fact that I am a dumb argument-maker, every friendship will have at least one fallout. Every deep friendship will definitely have one. In Sea of Monsters, Percy and Annabeth had a fight, didn't they? In Goblet of Fire and Deathly Hallows Harry and Ron had a fight, didn't they? I wanted to put a fight for this reason. It was needed._**

Fangtasia chapter 17 . Nov 11

The answer is question: Zeusz( Because of some law).

 _ **Hmm... That's your opinion, right? This question is an opinion one.**_

Guest chapter 1 . Nov 12

Zoe would not say 'Ugh'.

 _ **Hehe. Since you said it now, even I feel it. Anyway, in my mass revision, I will replace it.**_

...

 **Poll counts - 6 for Katie Bell, 2 for Hermione Granger and 1 for Parvati Patil.**

...

 **A. In my opinion, it is Ares...**

 **Q. What was Jason Grace's mother's name?**

...

PassionBeautyFreedom


	13. A Goddess Visits

Chapter 13 – A Goddess Visits

After they were allowed to exit Olympus, Percy had left the rest of them to make some calls. He told Harry that he had wanted to call Tyson, his half-brother. Harry hadn't wanted to interfere.

The trip back to Manhattan had been really quiet. Argus, the security chief, had picked them up and ferried them to camp.

Chiron had greeted them with hot chocolate when they reached. Grover ran off to tell his satyr friends about the Pan incident. Annabeth, Harry, and Percy sat with some of the senior campers, like Silena Beauregard, Charles Beckendorf, the Stoll brothers, and even Clarisse, who was back from her scouting mission.

"I've got news. _Bad_ news," Clarisse mumbled.

"Later! You saved Annabeth!" Chiron said with forced cheerfulness.

"Luke is alive," said Harry grimly. "Annabeth, you were right."

"How do you know?" Annabeth asked quickly.

Harry closed his eyes and zoned out from his fatigue. He was almost about to sleep when Chiron said something which made him get up.

"Because the gods use heroes as their tools, destroy the tools, and the gods will be crippled. Luke's forces will come here. Mortal, demigod, monstrous... We must be prepared. Clarisse's news may give us a clue as to how they will attack, but—"

"Hey!" Nico di Angelo barged in. "Where… Where's my sister?"

Harry stared at Chiron and the others. No one had told him yet. They were waiting for Harry and his group to tell him. He closed his eyes. _I owe it to Bianca._

"Nico… We need to talk."

Percy looked at him gratefully but Harry gave him a look that said: _I am not doing this for you._

Harry told him at the dining pavilion.

"WHAT?" Nico exclaimed. "Bi… Bianca… She's dead?"

"I'm so sorry," Harry whispered.

"I can't believe it…" Tears splashed out of his eyes. "I… She was all I had left."

"I understand," Harry told him. "Even I thought I don't have anyone. I thought I was an orphan until Zeus came in and claimed me. My mom and my adoptive dad… they were killed. I don't have any siblings."

"You do?" Nico whispered. Suddenly, he broke down and fell. He had shifted to full-on sobbing.

"Nico… what…"

"She's in the Fields of Asphodel right now. She's being evaluated. I can feel it."

"What do you mean, you can feel it –?"

"What are those!?" Nico yelled.

Harry heard a hissing, clattering sound. He turned to see four skeleton warriors, grinning fleshless grins. Harry had no idea how they landed up inside the camp, but he knew that he couldn't get help in time.

"Nico! Run! Get help!" Harry yelled at him. He took out his sword. He knew that he had fought nine monsters once, but they could _die._ 'Dying' was a word that wasn't in the skeletons' dictionary.

"Argh! Go away!" Nico yelled, flapping his arms.

The ground rumbled beneath Harry. The skeletons froze. He rolled out of the way just as a crack opened at the feet of the four warriors. The ground ripped apart like a snapping mouth. Flames erupted from the fissure, and the earth swallowed the skeletons in one loud CRUNCH!

There were no more skeletons. In its place was a twenty-foot long scar on the dining pavilion. He looked at Nico, awestruck. "How did you?" He asked. "How did you do it?"

"I don't know," Nico whispered. "I just _willed_ them to go away, and…"

"The Mythomagic figurine…" Things were fixing together. " _Hades._ "

"Hades?"

"Hades is your dad, Nico. That's why you felt those things."

Nico swallowed.

"Come on. We need to tell Annabeth, Percy, and Grover." He walked closer to Nico and lowered his voice. "Nico, I don't know whether you know how serious this is. Even Hades broke the oath. You can be the child of the prophecy." Harry recited the prophecy.

"I…"

"Let's tell Percy and the others."

…

"WHAT?" Annabeth yelled. "This is serious! Nico could be the child of the prophecy! We need to Chiron!"

"No," Percy said.

"What do you mean?" Annabeth screeched.

"Nico, you've been at a hotel called the Lotus Casino?" Harry asked.

"Yes… And a lawyer took us out of there."

"I told you," Harry said, looking at Annabeth. "Nico and Bianca have been out of commission for a lot of years. They were born before the oath."

"What if…"

"We _can't_ tell anyone," said Harry. "It might cause a war between the Olympians, and that's the last thing we need."

"I don't need forever," Percy said. "Just two years. Until I'm sixteen."

Annabeth paled. "But, Percy, this means the prophecy might not be about you. It might be about Nico. We have to —"

"No," Percy said. "I choose the prophecy. It will be about me."

"Why are you saying that?" she cried. "You want to be responsible for the whole world?"

"I can't let you be in any more danger," Percy told Nico. "I owe that much to Bianca. I... let you and Bianca both down. I'm not going to let you suffer anymore."

Annabeth looked at Nico. "If you see anyone… in your dreams or anything, don't let him twist your mind. Luke might approach you… you are extremely powerful. If Luke gets hold of you…"

"I won't," Nico promised. Harry looked at Nico. He still looked tired, and unshed tears were in his eyes. He still looked bold, though. And he looked as if he was trying to put Bianca's death behind him. Harry appreciated that.

"I'll make sure Luke has other things to worry about. Namely, me," Percy promised.

Grover barged in. "I... I was playing music in the parlor," he stammered, "and drinking coffee. Lots and lots of coffee! And he spoke in my mind!"

"Who?" Annabeth demanded.

"Pan!" Grover wailed. "The Lord of the Wild himself. I heard him! I have to... I have to find a suitcase."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Percy said. "What did he say?"

Grover stared at him. "Just three words. He said, ' _I await you_.'"

…

"Come on, you need a tour!" Percy exclaimed. "Change your stuff, will you? You are a son of Zeus. Put your stuff in the Zeus cabin!"

It was the next morning. A nice and bright one. It radiated… joy and hope. Annabeth, Nico, and Percy were giving a tour to Harry. He had slept in the Hermes cabin, as he was too tired to shift his things completely. He was presently shifting, Percy, Annabeth, and Nico helping him. He was admiring the Zeus cabin – a marble box with heavy white columns. It had polished bronze doors with lightning bolts streaked through them. _Doesn't look too bad._

"Come on in!" Harry exclaimed to the others, who looked reluctant to enter. "Why aren't you?"

"Um… Zeus…" Percy stammered.

"Whatever to Zeus. Come on." Harry whispered.

"Okay." He nodded to Annabeth and Nico, and the four of them walked in.

Harry wasn't too impressed. Outside, it looked grand, but inside, it looked… _blah._ It looked like a bank and had no furniture in it. _Gotta remember to buy a desk and a bed,_ he thought unconsciously. The cabin had alcoves with golden eagle statues and a statue of Zeus in the middle, which reminded Harry of a glaring hippie which was ten feet tall and had eyes everywhere… except for one area. He walked closer. The area had Thalia's sleeping bag and a few pictures of…

"Annabeth! Look!" Harry yelled at her.

Some pictures of Annabeth, Thalia, and Luke when they were younger. They had looked so happy… it reminded Harry of his own friends. Ron and Hermione are Thalia and Luke for him. Annabeth was staring at the pictures.

"Come on," he told her. "Are you helping me shift, or...?"

"Yes, yes," she said hurriedly. She turned, and she crashed right into him.

"Ouch! Look where you are going, dude!" Harry said, rubbing his nose.

"Sorry, Harry didn't see you there," she said, rubbing her own. "By the way," she looked at him mischievously. " _Dude_? Picked up American? _"_

Harry tried not to think about how cute she looked with that mischievous smile. "Um… yep. Learned from Percy."

"Don't learn too much from him. Anyway, I heard that you are bookish?" Her eyes were on Harry's open trunk, which Nico and Percy had brought, which was filled with books. "What do you read?"

"Hate poems. Non-fiction and fiction both."

"Hmm, I like architecture. You?"

"Don't hold a great interest –"

"Harry! Annabeth! Hope you are not up to anything weird in there! Come out!" Nico yelled.

Harry and Annabeth both blushed, and walked out. "Nico!" They both said at the same time.

"I just said that to get you out. Let's continue our tour."

"You already know the Dining Pavilion, the Rec Room and the Big House. Now, the Amphitheater."

The amphitheater had rising tiers of stone benches that curved around the central stage. They next went to the Camp Borders, and then they went to Thalia's Pine Tree.

"It _had_ Thalia in it, but now she is gone, so it is a monument to her, and it keeps the borders working."

They next went to the armory, from which Percy said many campers got their weapons. They also went to the climbing wall, from which Annabeth said, 'lava could pour out, for an extra challenge'.

Harry personally took an oath that he would visit the sword fighting arena some time, because of its impressive look. He also wanted to try his luck out with archery. He wasn't that impressed with the volleyball field. Harry also took a liking to Themyscira, the Pegasus which he had ridden. It seemed to like him too.

"Let's go to the attic, shall we?" Percy asked.

The attic, though not very mesmerizing, was not such a bad place. It had a lot of pickled monster heads, which freaked Harry out, though not more than the shriveled mummy which was in a chair.

"That's… the oracle?" Harry asked.

"Yes. If you are lucky, then it will not… _oh no_." Annabeth said.

The Oracle had come to life. Green mist poured out of its mouth, and it hissed. _I am the spirit of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Approach, seeker, and ask,_ it spoke in Harry's mind. The mummy wasn't alive. She was some kind of gruesome receptacle for something else, the power that was now swirling around him in the green mist.

"No!" Harry exclaimed. "I just came here for a tour – I don't want any prophecies! I don't want to know my destiny – oh, gods."

It spoke to him. Only to him.

" _Olive, death, sea, and lightning_

 _May enter the Magical Realm,_

 _Spawn of lightning dies if realms aren't revealed,_

 _And worlds collide as leaders talk._

 _Secrets are revealed to the other side,_

 _As a safe haven becomes unsafe._

 _And evil rises when a dear friend leaves."_

"What…" Harry whispered.

"Harry, you alright?" Percy asked him. Harry held his shoulder to keep himself steady.

"That… that prophecy was to me, right?" He asked.

"It was," said Annabeth, looking grim. "We have to tell Chiron. _Now._ "

…

"You are saying… That the Oracle delivered a prophecy. Only to Harry, though other people were there. Tell it again?" Chiron asked.

Harry recited the prophecy.

"This line… _Spawn of lightning dies if realms aren't revealed…_ Is disturbing." Chiron said, looking deep in thought. "Aren't you telling us something, Harry?"

Harry took a deep breath and looked at Percy. He nodded. Harry looked at Chiron and spilled the whole secret that was the wizarding world.

…

"So, you all are the descendants of the people who Hecate blessed?" Nico asked.

"All comes down to the gods," said Annabeth, nodding.

"Olives equals Athena. That very well means Annabeth," said Percy, thinking. "Sea equals Poseidon. That's me. Death… Nico. And last… Lightning aka Harry."

"First part solved," Harry agreed. "Second. _May enter the magical realm._ May… That means we have to work in order for this prophecy to get fulfilled."

Hmm. Percy thought hard. Harry was right. Only if Percy, Annabeth, and Nico accompanied Harry to Hogwarts, he could survive. The prophecy directly said that Harry would die somehow if the trio didn't accompany him.

"Gods, kill these prophecies," said Percy, heavily put off. "It's not even been one day and lo, behold."

"Harry, this is somehow related to your school, it's obvious. _The School of Magic_. But… we don't possess magic, do we? It doesn't make any sense." Annabeth said, looking worried.

"It doesn't," Harry said thoughtfully. His life was in danger – and Percy, Annabeth, and Nico had to protect him. What wasn't good was that the prophecy said the word _may_ – and that meant if Percy, Annabeth, and Nico didn't come, it was game over for him. That was the obvious part. If he didn't want to go to the Underworld, he definitely had to find a way to bring them to Hogwarts. But, 1. They weren't magical. 2. They wouldn't be able to see through the disillusionment charm and 3. They had already missed three years of studies. Gods, this quest made utterly no sense.

"Wait," said Nico, looking thoughtful. "Harry, in your dream – the one of that Godric Gryffindor guy – he said that the first magicals were the people blessed by Hecate, right? That would mean she could bless us to get magic…" he trailed off.

Annabeth turned to him. "Nico, you are _brilliant_! This is what we need! For us to become wizards, we need magic, and that Hecate can give us! That's it!"

"We can't just summon a goddess, kids," said Chiron. "And, anyway, I have no clue where Hecate is supposed to be. But we can get her attention by rituals, though. We'll try it out. Today at dinner, all the half-bloods can pray and give offerings to Hecate. We can get her attention that way."

"We'll have to try," said Harry. "I don't want to die."

…

Percy was looking forlornly at Harry, who was playing with his food and looking utterly distracted. He hated sitting alone at the Poseidon table. All the other tables were full (except for Artemis and Hera), and he was feeling extremely jealous of them (even of the Hermes kids, who were squashed in the bench).

"Dear campers!" Chiron boomed. "It is my request today that all of you give your offerings to both your godly parent and the goddess Hecate. One of our campers is in danger, and it is for his safety."

Everyone scraped off food from their plate and mumbles of many gods and goddesses were heard in the buzz. Once everyone finished their food, they walked outside to the campfire. Percy walked over to Harry, who was looking distraught.

"If Hecate doesn't come… Gods…"

"Don't worry, dude," Percy put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "The prophecy will definitely get fulfilled. Annabeth, Nico and I will definitely come to help you."

"Thanks," Harry mumbled. "Come on, let's go."

On the way to the campfire, the pair was joined by Annabeth, Nico, and Grover. The former looked extremely happy like she won an intellectual debate with another camper. Nico was looking angry, as he hated being with the Hermes cabin (there was no cabin for Hades; and at the same time, he was bound to be shunned by the society if he was revealed). Grover was just like he always was.

When they reached the huge, blazing campfire, many people were already dancing around it and the Apollo campers were having a sing-along. Percy started running around the campfire with the others, Grover joined him, Nico told Harry that he couldn't dance "as it was a sin to be happy." Annabeth sat next to Harry, her hand on his shoulder.

Though Harry didn't know Annabeth much, it felt like she had been for years now. Harry let out a sigh.

"Please come, Hecate…"

"Don't worry, she has to come –?"

A bright light appeared, blinding their eyes. Harry closed his eyes, and when he opened it, a goddess stood there. She was wearing a Greek ankle-length chiton and had a pretty face (which goddess doesn't have a pretty face?). She had brown eyes and chocolate-brown hair. A pair of torches were floating behind her.

Everyone bowed down slowly. As Harry bowed down, she walked to him.

"Rise, Harry Potter."

As Harry got up, she did the same thing to Percy, Annabeth, and Nico. After that, she gave a collective 'rise' to the rest of the campers. Suddenly, Harry felt a hand pushing his back. He turned, but no one was there. The hand pushed him roughly. He fell, but another hand-ish thing pushed him up. It was pushing him towards the Zeus cabin. Knowing that he couldn't fight against the hand, he started walking to the Zeus cabin himself, the hand still on his back. He noticed that the others were also walking towards the Zeus cabin, Hecate following them. _She's doing this._ As Harry and the others entered, Hecate also got in, closing the door magically.

"What is it, my children?" She asked in a motherly voice. "Is it the prophecy?"

"You know?" Percy asked her.

"Obviously, Percy."

"Then you must know why we called you."

"I know it concerns my Hogwarts –" She smiled at the mention of her school, "– but I do not understand why you need me."

Harry explained the mess that he was neck-deep in.

"Hmm," said Hecate thoughtfully. "So, you need me to give you magic just like the others I blessed?"

"Yes," Harry said quickly.

"I am ready to give it, as I haven't given to anyone for the past five decades, and because the four of you are worthy. Let me explain first.

"I bless people with the help of my three Orbs – the Bronze Orb, the Silver Orb, and the Gold Orb. The Bronze Orb is the weakest orb, and it gives you a simple thing – magic. That's all you will get. The Silver Orb is a more powerful orb. It gives you a pictographic memory, and also it will give you magic. The Gold Orb –" She looked at each of them carefully before going on, "– is the most powerful orb, as you must already have gathered. It gives magic, which all the three orbs do, with pictographic memory and the ability of learning spells, transfiguration, charms and the like faster. It also helps the user to _channel raw energy._ It is a rare power, but also extremely draining. Once you channel raw energy, your magical reserves would be increasingly drained. You won't be able to use magic for the whole day, and your magic will be at a lesser level for the whole week. Use it well." She spoke the last three words to Harry, who was getting a feeling of dread. "I will give the four of you what Orbs you deserve, and you can also ask for another orb if you feel that you are worthy or not worthy." She looked at Annabeth. "Annabeth Chase."

Annabeth walked reluctantly forward, right in front of the goddess. Hecate looked at her, then said, "I recommend… the Bronze Orb for you."

Annabeth looked thoroughly offended and disappointed. "Lady Hecate, I… I ask for another orb."

Hecate raised her eyebrow. "You have gone on two quests, and have an exceptional memory. You don't need a pictographic memory, it's already that good. The Orb you are receiving isn't of what status you receive, but what you need. Annabeth Chase, I personally think that you don't _need_ the Silver Orb."

Annabeth protested. "But, Lady Hecate…"

"I admire your determination, Annabeth. That's only why I am giving you the Silver Orb." The goddess cupped her hands and closed her eyes. When she opened them, a silver orb was in her hand. It was beautiful. It was white in colour and soft but powerful energy was emanating from it. She handed it to Annabeth. "Move away from the others, and drop the orb at your feet."

Though Harry felt it was a personal insult to the Orb, it had to be done. He watched in amazement as Annabeth moved away and broke the orb at her feet. White sparks flew out of it as it broke open. A white mist engulfed Annabeth. As it dissipated, Annabeth stepped out of it. There was no change in how she looked.

"Anna –?" Percy started.

"Give her your wand, will you, Harry?"

"Um," he walked over to his desk, where he had kept his wand. He took it and handed it to Annabeth. She took it.

"Tell her a spell."

"Why can't _you_ –?"

"I only practice ancient magics and not your new Latin ones," Hecate said with distaste.

"Um… Point the wand at that book, swish and flick my wand, and say 'Wingardium Leviosa.'"

Annabeth swished and flicked the wand, and said the words. The book floated off the desk. Harry turned to Hecate incredulously.

"On the first try –!"

"Harry, these are not ordinary stuff. It just doesn't give you ordinary skill. Annabeth will find first, second and third year spells easy. But after that, she'll have to study."

"Aww…" said Percy. "Damn."

"Percy Jackson. You next."

Percy walked towards Hecate.

"I think that the Silver Orb will be best for you."

Annabeth looked personally offended that Percy got a better orb than her.

"Lady Hecate… why?" Percy said. "Annabeth's better than me, but…"

"Percy, you have memory problems, so you _need_ the orb." At Percy's nod, Hecate repeated the same process with him.

"Nico di Angelo."

"Silver Orb –"

"No, Lady Hecate," said Nico firmly. "I don't deserve it. I have not gone on a single quest, and I am not that great. I want the Bronze Orb."

Hecate smiled approvingly. "I was having second thoughts about giving you an orb. But you are worthy." She cupped her hands, and this time, a bronze orb appeared in her hand. Nico did the same thing what Annabeth and Percy did. This time, Nico was engulfed in brown mist.

"Harry Potter."

* * *

 **I am utter crap at writing prophecies. Oh, and that is my first cliffhanger (?).**

 **As I have got that out of my brain, I've got some things to tell you all. In this story, Nico is eleven years old. That is why he acted more mature and didn't yell out. Also, neither Harry nor Percy had given any promise to him. That is another reason why he didn't run off.**

 **By the way, when I had first started writing this story, I had intended it to be a trilogy, the first being a joining of the Goblet of Fire and the Titan's Curse, the second being a joining of the Half-Blood Prince/Order of the Phoenix and the Battle of the Labyrinth (you will understand why at the end of this fic), and the last being a join of the Deathly Hallows and the Last Olympian. Right now, I am worried as the way my school life is going doesn't indicate whether I will be able to start the second part of this trilogy (which I started to call _The Wizard and Demigod trilogy_ informally). I will complete this fic though, I assure you. Anyway, REVIEW!**

...

Guestie chapter 18 . Nov 16

Um...

i wonder about Deathly Hallows...Harry as son of Zeus...Oh goodie.

 _ **I have only written my above AN because of your review.**_

Guest chapter 18 . Nov 17

I was kind of hoping Harry would meet 'Mother Magic' aka Lady Hecate... How funny would it be if Harry's actually NOT a demi-god? What if instead Hecate was actually Lily Potter in human form? Which would mean if Harry lived to a certain age then he could become a full god?

 _ **Hecate comes here, as you have read. Harry will be increased to the peak of his magical and godly stamina in this fic, anyway. SPOILER!**_

Amazing Guy chapter 14 . Nov 22

Hi

 _ **?**_

...

 **Poll counts: 6 for Katie Bell, 2 for Parvati Patil and 2 for Hermione Granger.**

...

 **A. Beryl Grace...**

 **Q. Why do you think that the only swearing in Harry Potter was when Molly killed Bellatrix?**

...

PassionBeautyFreedom


	14. Albus Dumbledore, the Silver Dueler

Chapter 14 – Albus Dumbledore, the Silver Dueler

Harry walked slowly towards the goddess, looking determined.

Hecate smiled at him. "Harry, you can't ask for another Orb. I'll vaporize you if you do."

"Um…" Harry gulped. Percy didn't know how Hecate could say that with a smile on her face.

"I am giving you _the Gold Orb_."

Harry's jaw fell open. "Lady Hecate… I have the right to ask you _why_ you are giving me this orb, right?"

Hecate feigned thinking. "I guess that you have."

"Why did I get this Orb?"

"I can't tell you more than what I can tell you. All I can say is that you are _destined for greatness_ and that without this power, defeating Voldemort will be a no-go."

When Harry heard the first sentence, he hadn't looked too happy and looked ready to protest. But Percy could say that the second sentence meant a lot to him. His face had hardened and changed to acceptance. "I accept."

"I knew that, my boy."

She cupped her hands. It took longer than the gold and silver orbs. When she opened it, Percy couldn't help feeling amazed. It was a solid gold sphere, fitting in one of Hecate's hands, but he could feel the amount of sheer power it radiated.

"Come on, take it," said Hecate. She extended her hand. Harry gingerly walked up to her and took it, handling it as if it was burning his hands. He walked away and gave a look at Percy, Annabeth and Nico. Annabeth nodded encouragingly.

He dropped the orb at his feet.

…

Annabeth had not known Harry that much, but she knew him enough to say that the poor guy was terrified. He looked desperately at Percy, Nico and her, and she nodded at him.

He dropped the orb at his feet.

As it shattered, gold mist engulfed him, and sparks flew out of the broken pieces. She tapped her feet, impatient. As he stepped out, the first thing that she noticed was that he didn't look different. At all.

Harry looked at his hands. He looked at them. And then he looked at Hecate. She was smiling.

"Take your wand and try out a spell, Harry."

Harry walked over to his desk and picked up the thin piece of wood that Annabeth had used.

" _Wingardium Leviosa!_ " Harry yelled. A book on his desk – _A History of Magic_ – flew upwards and crashed on the ceiling.

 _Wait… did his eyes just turn_ gold _–?_

"WHA –?" Harry started.

"You need to learn to control your magic, Harry," said Hecate calmly.

"I was better off without this," Harry muttered under his breath.

"Try it again!" Percy exclaimed.

" _Lumos_ ," Harry said calmly. His eyes flashed gold. _HA! I knew it._

"Harry," Annabeth told him. "When you use magic, your eyes are turning gold."

"What?"

"It's a fact," said Nico. "Your eyes _are_ turning gold."

"Yay! I look much more handsome when I have _freaking gold_ eyes!" Harry said sarcastically.

Hecate flashed a dangerous look at Harry. "That's enough. I am done here." she looked at Harry. "Use it well."

They all shielded their eyes as the goddess took their true form and vanished.

"Well, _that_ was interesting," said Annabeth. She looked at Harry. He was dejectedly trying to levitate _a History of Magic_ without breaking the ceiling. She thought he _actually_ looked kinda cute with gold eyes. _Wait, from where, in the gods' name, did that come from?_ "Harry, goddesses or gods don't give something without reason. They always want something, though they don't tell you what. She gave you the gold orb for a reason."

"For me to defeat Voldemort?" Harry asked, looking at her. "That can be useful."

"Well, that might be. Let's tell Chiron."

…

"So. I can't _just_ get you an admission in Hogwarts. We need to speak with the headmaster, Dumbledore." Harry was pacing Poseidon's cabin, and running his hands through his hair, making it messier than before. _Dumbledore would certainly allow,_ he thought. _He has to! He cares about me! Aargh! But we'll have to cook a good story, anyway._

"Nice name," Percy snorted.

"We'll have to speak with him and get an admission for you. Can I Iris-Message him?" Harry asked, acting as if Percy hadn't spoken.

"You sure if he won't get freaked out?" Nico asked doubtfully.

"He can… handle it," said Harry.

Percy gave him a drachma. Harry tossed it in the fountain. "What were we supposed to say...?"

"Oh Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering, show me Albus Dumbledore at Hogwarts."

Harry repeated.

An image appeared, of the person he most idolized. Albus Dumbledore. He was sitting in what looked like a _bar_ and was sipping a tankard of butterbeer.

"Professor Dumbledore!"

Dumbledore turned, and his eyes widened. "Whoa! Harry! What is this? As far as I know, the Floo doesn't work this way!"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Ah, Professor, this is called an Iris-Message. I need you to give admissions to three students."

…

The guy named Dumbledore gave Harry a questioning look. "Admissions? Why?"

Harry recited the whole story of him being a demigod. Percy gave nods the entire time.

"So, to sum it up, a prophecy was said that your life is in danger unless these three –" he looked at Percy, Annabeth and Nico, "– come to Hogwarts. I will very well allow that, but you need a cover story, right? You can't tell _everyone_ about the existence of the gods."

"We'll cook up one," said Annabeth hurriedly.

"You are?" Dumbledore asked her.

"Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena. This," she said, looking at Percy, "is Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon. And that," she looked at Nico, "is Nico di Angelo, son of… well… Hermes."

Dumbledore looked at her with a twinkle in his eyes. "You are a bad liar, Miss Chase."

Harry gave a nod in her direction.

"Nico here is a son of Hades. But don't tell anyone that, okay, Principal?"

"I won't tell anything about this whole business to anyone. And Harry, you got a blessing of Hecate, the magic goddess, who we _all_ happen to be descendants of?"

"Yes, professor. We had to take an orb from her which gave us magic –"

Dumbledore looked like he had been struck. "Orb… was it silver in colour?"

Percy nodded confusedly. "Yes, sir, it can be bronze, silver or gold. Bronze gives us magic, which Nico got. Gold gives the ability to channel energy, gives a pictographic memory, and gives the ability to learn magic faster, which Harry got. Annabeth and I got the silver orb, which gives a pictographic memory and magic."

"You have to drop the orb at your feet?" Dumbledore whispered.

"Yes…"

"I never knew. Before my duel with the dark wizard Grindelwald, I had found this silver crystal under my bed, with a message, ' _drop at your feet, dueler,_ " I checked it for curses, hexes, everything, but it yielded nothing. I still remember the mist floating around me and myself getting a pictographic memory after that."

"Lady Hecate favoured you," Annabeth told him. "She blessed you with the orb."

"I will do all in my power to protect you, Harry. And Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase and Nico di Angelo will also come to protect you. I give you my word." Dumbledore went into the headmaster mode and omitted his human one.

"Thank you, professor." Harry waved his hand and cut the message.

…

Harry sat in his cabin with Annabeth. The only difference was that he was on his bed, while Annabeth was sitting on his desk, dissolved in _A History of Magic._ He thought about Hogwarts, Ron, Hermione, Hecate, the Dursleys, the more _human_ side of Dumbledore, and though he didn't want to admit it, one name was flying around in his mind. _Annabeth_. He glanced at her. She still was in the book. He inwardly sighed. _I know she is cute, but still… I am dumb. Shut up, Potter._ He thought about his undid homework. How could he sneak Annabeth, Percy and Nico into Privet Drive? He couldn't let them sleep in the garden ( _completely and utterly dumb!_ ). Invisibility Cloak? That could work, but when Aunt Petunia came inside his room? Nah. The food was a whole another matter. He barely got food for _himself_ , let alone three others. Gosh, this was getting in his head.

"Annabeth?"

Annabeth looked up. "Huh?"

"I just… was thinking how you would, well, stay in my Aunt and Uncle's house for, like, four weeks."

"Why, wouldn't they allow?" she looked confused, and Harry tried to look _anywhere_ but her eyes.

"Yeah… They don't like me, and well, I am pretty sure they didn't even notice that I was missing for one week. If I tell them that I need some people to stay with me, they would never allow. I don't know what to do."

"I can… bend the mist? To make them believe that only you are there, and no one else."

"That's a nice idea… A true daughter of Athena." Harry smiled at her. Was he imagining, or did she just _blush_?

…

Annabeth couldn't resist blushing. _Oh gods, that smile… Oh, shit._

"Thanks, Harry. Though being humble about our intelligence is a thing for kids of Athena."

Harry _cutely_ raised an eyebrow. "That's… good, I guess." He grinned. "For architecture fanatics like you, Hogwarts will be paradise. You'll also definitely like Hermione."

 _Wait, am I feeling jealous? Why? She's a friend!_ "Hermione? Why?" she asked quickly, anxious to receive a response.

"Hermione is my best friend. She's so like you! Bookish like heck. You'll either get along with her or…" He got a dangerous look on his face, in contrast to the grin he had earlier. "become worst enemies."

Annabeth instantly felt calm. "I would not like to think about that," Annabeth murmured. "All your friends, I hope, will be good friends of mine."

"I need to Iris-Message Dumbledore again," said Harry, talking more to himself than to Annabeth. "I need to learn how to increase the quantity of food, and duplicate things… I hope you can live for three weeks…"

"Hmm… Hecate's boon would help in that."

Before Harry could answer, Percy came in. "Nico and I have packed already, Annabeth! You should pack, and Harry should do too!" He got a surprised look. "What were both of you doing here?"

"Just talking about how you guys can live with my _spotless_ family." Harry rolled his eyes.

"Good talking with you, Har," Annabeth said and got up. She could literally _feel_ Harry's eyes on her back. "By the way," she turned back and saw Harry _blushing_. "Can you lend me this book anytime? It's interesting."

"Obviously," Harry said with a forced smile. He turned to Percy. "How will we get to the airport?"

"Vans," said Percy simply. " _Strawberry_ vans."

Harry made a choking sound. " _Strawberry vans?_ "

"Delphi Strawberry Services." Percy nodded.

"Oh my gods, thank goodness that my friends aren't here. Ron would tease the crap out of me. Come on, I'll ask for permission from dad." Harry told them. He walked out, into his cabin. It might be an understatement if Annabeth said that Harry didn't like the huge Zeus statue in the middle.

"Father, Lord of all," said Harry, bowing. "Can you please let Nico, unclaimed kid, Annabeth, daughter of Athena, and _Percy, son of Poseidon_ to ride in a plane?"

It didn't move. "Thanks, Pops," said Harry dryly.

…

Harry and Annabeth sat together in the flight, while Percy and Nico sat in the other two seats. They both were sleeping, while Annabeth was reading _A History of Magic_ and Harry was practising the _Gemino_ curse, which could help him to duplicate the mattresses and blankets for them to sleep, and which could also help him to increase the food he got. _Unsung spells – #1._ He had a quill on his lap and was practising the curse. _"Gemino! Gemino! GEMINO!"_ If 'ability to learn spells, curses, hexes and the like faster' meant this, he certainly wasn't amused. "Ugh! _Gemino_!" The quill multiplied. "Yes! _Gemino_!" It multiplied again. "Aha!" He leant back in his chair, feeling relaxed. He turned to Annabeth.

"Are you sure that your mist-bending will work?"

"It has to," she said, without looking up.

…

Harry was having mixed feelings as he entered the lawn of Privet Drive. _Aunt Petunia at least should_ notice _that I wasn't there for one week, right? At least notice?_ He couldn't help feeling a tinge of sadness for leaving the happy atmosphere of Camp Half-Blood to come to the dreary, cold atmosphere of Privet Drive. "Do your mist trick, Annabeth," he said as he reached the front door.

He rang the bell. Annabeth snapped her fingers. He heard the sound of hurrying footsteps before Aunt Petunia opened the door. "Good morning – _Harry?_ "

"Hello, Aunt Petunia," said Harry stiffly. As Aunt Petunia look behind him, he could see her eyes becoming glazed. "Aunt!"

"Yes!" she focused on Harry, and the glazed look disappeared. "Harry, where were you? You were supposed to come a week ago! Not that I was worried about you…" she said the last words to convince herself, it seemed to Harry.

"May I come in?" Harry asked.

"Yes, yes," Petunia said hurriedly, moving out of the way.

"Who is it, Petunia?" Harry heard Uncle Vernon's voice. _Well, that guy certainly doesn't care about me._

"It's Harry, Vernon!" Petunia yelled back.

"Harry?" Both Vernon and Dudley yelled. "Where was that boy? Tell him to come and see me after he puts his stuff _neatly_ in his bedroom!" Uncle Vernon continued.

"Come on," Harry whispered to Percy, Annabeth and Nico. He walked inside, getting nostalgic feelings (though he didn't like the place). He walked up the stairs, lugging his trunk.

"Nice bedroom," said Nico.

Harry snorted. "You need to see the other bedrooms in this house. Sit here, while I meet Uncle Vernon."

...

 **I am so, so sorry if you felt like this whole chapter was trash and filled with as-tall-as-Mount-Everest plot holes.** **From now, the Goblet of Fire officially starts. I feel so happy! BTW, I explored Dumbledore's human side, and Petunia's kinder side a bit. Anyway, did you like the bomb that was the Gold Orb (pretty sure some smart guys/gals figured it out last chapter itself)? Also, Dumbledore got a Silver Orb! And yeah, some dumb crush-y stuff between Harry and Annabeth. Did you like it (this is my first time writing stuff like this - I am anxious to receive encouragement)? Please tell me in the reviews! BTW, I don't know what to do about the Gemino curse and the Statute of Secrecy. If you have ideas, PM me. I'll stop my rant here. REVIEW!**

 **Review answering -**

Guest chapter 15 . Nov 27

I love this book!

 _ **Thanks!**_

Guest chapter 2 . Nov 29

A Snape  
A Hecate

 ** _For the first, I thought Bellatrix was his most sincere lieutenant... Second, yeah._**

...

 **Poll counts: 7 for Katie Bell, 4 for Parvati Patil and 2 for Hermione Granger.**

...

 **A. To give it remembrance, maybe?**

 **Q. Why did Sally Jackson name her son after a son of Zeus and not a son of Poseidon (Theseus, maybe)?**

...

PassionBeautyFreedom


	15. Bending the Mist! It Works!

Chapter 15 – Bending the Mist! It Works!

Albus Dumbledore was not in a good mood.

 _That_ was an understatement.

He was both worried and angry, and he felt thankful that Minerva, Filius, Severus, and the others weren't there to see him. He looked at the godforsaken letter again, trying to figure out what it meant.

 _Dear Mr Albus Dumbledore,_

 _As you might have seen from the envelope, my name is Kenneth Laurentis. I am the principal or headmaster as you would say it, of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The news that you would be hosting the Triwizard Tournament has really reached far and wide. I want to send my students to Hogwarts, for them to see and admire this historic event. It will also give my students a chance to experience British culture, while your students can also pick up American culture with them. I will also come along with my students as their guardian. I don't want you to enrol my students in the Tournament, we just want to see the competition. I really hope that you would accept our request, as you wouldn't like to destroy reputation and relations, would you?_

 _Thanks and regards,_

 _Kenneth Laurentis_

 _The principal of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the successor of Agilbert Fontaine_

 _The previous President of The Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA)_

At the first read, Albus had felt happy about the fact that a foreign school was going to be with them for the Triwizard Tournament. In the second read, his mind settled on the fact that the last sentence was a subtle threat. _You don't allow us, I'll cause international chaos._ As he read the letter more, his mind started picking up subtle notices. The letter was too… polite. He knew that everyone would be polite in addressing a person they barely knew, but this was… weird. The way Laurentis spoke, it was like he was saying, ' _don't suspect me, I'm innocent_ ,' and mostly always the person who used that tone would be guilty. Well, that was except for the last line.

Albus put his hands on his face and sighed. He had no choice but to allow them. He took a piece of parchment and started writing.

 _Dear Mr Kenneth Laurentis,_

 _I have received your message, and I see no reason why I shouldn't allow your students to attend Hogwarts for a year. As you already know, the students of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons will also be in our school. I request you to send a list of the students who are coming, and please make sure that all the students are either sixteen or seventeen years old. I would definitely try to have a good relationship with the Americans, wouldn't I?_

 _Hope to see you soon!_

 _Albus Dumbledore_

 _Order of Merlin First Class_

 _Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards_

 _Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot_

Albus felt satisfied. He hoped the last sentence could do something. He didn't want to do it, but he decided to tell Harry, Ron, and Hermione with the new kids (Harry seemed to trust them) to pay attention to the exchange students and keep an eye on them. He didn't know whether his instinct was wrong, but he felt that there was a problem somewhere.

…

Harry took a deep breath and steeled himself. He walked into the hall. Uncle Vernon was there, with a look of exasperation. He stole looks at Aunt Petunia and Dudley. Aunt Petunia looked relieved, while Dudley looked confused.

"Sit there, boy," said Uncle Vernon, pointing to the sofa. "I've got questions to ask you."

With trepidation, Harry sat on the sofa.

"Where _the hell_ were you?"

"I was… at Ro –" he broke his line quickly. " _Hermione_ 's house for a week."

When he had almost said Ron's name, his uncle had looked at him with a raised eyebrow. When he said Hermione's name, he gave a nod.

"I have had enough owls coming here and flying around. Mostly all of them were from a certain Ronald Weasley," He said Ron's name with distaste. "Only some were from Hermione Granger. Mostly to inform us about you. I have to ask them whether they can take you in." He muttered the last sentence under his breath. Harry's fists clenched, but it did not escape his notice that Aunt Petunia gave a small jab to Vernon. His heart softened a little bit.

"Did you open any of them?"

"No," said Aunt Petunia quickly. "We have… a code of honour."

"Good. Thank you for _that_ consideration," Harry replied, speaking directly to Aunt Petunia. "By the way," he added, "do you know –?"

"Who is Sirius Black?" Uncle Vernon broke in.

Harry was flabbergasted. "How did you know that? Sirius Black was my father's best friend, and he's a mass murderer –"

"WHAT? AND THEN WHY THE _HELL_ IS HE WRITING TO _YOU_?"

"Um, because he is my _godfather_."

"WHAT?" Vernon looked as if he was going to either burst a blood vessel or have a seizure. "Your – your godfather is a mass murderer?"

"Yeah, and he is so powerful that he can turn people into bats. The police can't catch him," Harry said with a smile.

"WHAT? You know what, go to your room! NOW!"

Harry ran out, with a grin on his face. It had gone just as he expected.

…

"How'd it go?" Nico asked.

"I scared them," Harry said with a grin. "With tales of the ferocious Sirius Black, the Mass Murderer of Britain."

"How's that even _related_?" Percy said incredulously.

"That guy is my godfather."

"WHAT?" Annabeth, Percy and Nico yelled.

Harry laughingly told them everything.

"He _is_ innocent right?" Annabeth asked him. She had finally looked up from her book. "You are sure?"

"Obviously!" Harry exclaimed, looking offended.

"Don't mind her," said Percy quickly. "It's her nature to suspect everyone."

Harry heard a yell from downstairs. "Lunch, Harry!"

"I'll get it," said Harry, and walked downstairs.

Percy looked around the room. It was a small room; Harry's bed was neatly made and he had put his trunk next to it. Percy noticed that luckily, there was enough space for three mattresses to be put. There was a lamp on his table; along with a _bookshelf_. It had a nice, cosy feeling in it, just like his own room. He heard Harry storming up the stairs, and no later, Harry had barged in with a plate containing a piece of – drum roll – _watermelon_.

"What?" Annabeth said, eyeing the piece of watermelon.

"Dudley! All because of him!" Harry exclaimed angrily. "The idiot eats so much, and Smeltings doesn't stock knickerbockers for his size anymore. They sent him a diet list _for him_ and so that he doesn't feel bad, all of us have to diet."

"Wow, nice family," Percy said sarcastically.

"If we want to survive, we'll need other food," Harry said, not really listening to him. "I can send distress calls with Hedwig."

"Hedwig is…" Nico started.

"My owl." Harry pointed at one of his window rails, where an owl was sleeping peacefully. It was a beautiful snowy one. Annabeth instantly fell in love with it. "So beautiful," she murmured. "Where can I buy one?"

"In Diagon Alley," Harry replied. Before Percy could ask what Diagon Alley was, Harry answered it with a look into his eyes. "We will get our Hogwarts supplies from there after we get out of this hellhole," he gestured around his room. He walked to his desk and pulled out some pieces of thick paper.

"You write on _that_?" Nico asked incredulously. "And what is that you are writing with?"

"This is parchment," said Harry, picking up the paper and giving it to Percy. It was thick, rough paper. It was difficult to write on. "And this," he added, picking up the feather, "is a quill. You need to write with this."

"WHAT?" Annabeth yelled. She snatched the quill from Harry's hands. "Are you… are you stuck in the eighteenth century or something?"

"Practically, yeah," Harry admitted. "There is no electricity, no Wi-Fi…"

"WHAT?" All three of them yelled. _This makes no sense! No Wi-Fi, no electricity… What is this?_

"How do you live there?" Percy stammered. "You guys _are_ stuck in the eighteenth century."

"We can't check the internet for our essays, we can't cheat in exams, you'll have to fly on broomsticks…"

"WHAT? You are aiming to kill me!" Percy protested. "I can't fly! Zeus will blast me out of the sky!"

"The Greek gods don't have power in Britain," Harry waved away Percy's fears.

"They don't?"

"Remember Zeus saying that he came to Britain as the gods don't have power there?"

Well, that was a relief. Harry asked for the quill and parchment and started scribbling on a piece of paper. Percy could read it… Suddenly, he understood. _Along with pictographic memory, the Silver Orb also removes dyslexia._ Yah! Now he had a chance of scoring good marks. Harry had finished writing by the time Percy finished thinking.

 _Dear Ron,_

 _I know you have sent a lot of messages to me, but it's not that I wasn't interested to answer them. I wasn't at Privet Drive all this time, and I was at a special camp, in America. It's too long and tiring to explain by letter, I'll tell you when I meet you in Hogwarts. From this camp I told you about, I have made some new friends (don't worry, I won't replace you and Hermione for anything). Their names are Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, and Nico di Angelo. All Americans. You'll definitely like them. They are currently living with me in Privet Drive. You can tell me when you are meeting me next by reply, as I am tired of this place._

 _The main reason why I sent this message to you is, well, can you send some food by your reply mail? I am literally starving here, because of a dumb diet my cousin Dudley is taking. Please, I'll die of starvation here if you don't send some food._

 _See you soon!_

 _Harry_

Harry wrote the message again for the girl named Hermione, but for Sirius, he wrote another letter. He walked to his owl, and freed it. He tied Ron and Hermione's letters with her.

"Go to Ron and Hermione," he whispered to the owl. It nipped his finger softly and flew away. He showed the letter he wrote to Sirius.

 _Dear Sirius,_

 _How are you? I an sending this message to inform you about some very… vital things that I need to tell you about. Did you ever know that there are some other types of people besides wizards and muggles? There is this type know as demigods, they are basically children of the Greek gods with mortals/wizards. Did you know that_ I _was one? I was born of Zeus and Lily, and I have some extra lightning powers now. I AM NOT LYING, BELIEVE ME. I also got a blessing from the magic goddess Hecate, and I can also release energy now without my wand (wandless magic?). Some other trustworthy demigods are with me, Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase and Nico di Angelo. I was in America all this while, and I just returned now. I will send this with Hedwig after she returns from Ron and Hermione._

 _I am alright, anyway, and because I told the Dursleys about you, I am able to live okay here._

 _Waiting for your reply,_

 _Harry_

Harry sat back in his chair with a smile. "He will definitely believe me, though he will want more about James, Zeus and Lily. He'll think the other way."

Percy understood what Harry meant. Before Percy had told him the story of Zeus and Kallisto, he had thought that his mother deliberately had an affair with Zeus. Zeus had admitted to using the way Percy said.

"Multiple that watermelon!" Nico whined. "I am feeling hungry!"

Harry rolled his eyes at Nico. He walked up to the watermelon. Harry took a deep breath and said, "Geminio."

The watermelon multiplied. He used the curse again twice, and now, there were four slices of watermelon.

"Take it," said Harry with a shrug.

Nico, Annabeth, and Percy took the pieces. Needless to say, they were still feeling hungry as hell.

"You survived with this kind of food all your life?" Nico asked, massaging his stomach.

"I actually got satisfactory food all my life _here_ ," Harry put emphasis on 'here', "but this holiday is worse. But you have to see Hogwarts food," he licked his lips, "you will get whatever you want there."

"Dude, you made me hungry!" Percy complained. He really was feeling hungrier because of what Harry had said.

"Just keep your mouth shut and hope that whoever Harry sent the messages to sends some food," Annabeth warned.

…

"This is yummy," Percy said, licking his fingers. "That was a _really_ good haul, Harry."

Hedwig had returned three days later, with another owl who Harry had said was Errol. Hedwig had flown away again, with Sirius' letter after it got a day of rest. Hedwig had a large box of sugar-free snacks with it while Errol had an enormous fruitcake and assorted meat pies with it. Harry, Percy, Nico, and Annabeth were currently having a breakfast of the fruitcake.

It had gone well. Even though Aunt Petunia repeatedly became suspicious because Harry had not been eating at the table anymore, and was taking the food to his room, she had not seen them because of the mist. Percy was proud of Annabeth's mist-bending ability. Harry was planning to take all of them out that day as the four of them had been stuck in Privet Drive for four days.

"Activate mist, Annabeth," said Harry. Annabeth snapped her fingers. Harry walked down, Percy, Annabeth, and Nico following him.

"Aunt Petunia, I'll be going out today. I just need some fresh air." Harry told his Aunt as they reached downstairs.

"You may go out, Harry," said Petunia. "Come back by one or you won't get lunch." Well, that was a threat.

Harry accepted it meekly. "Yes, Aunt Petunia."

They walked out. Percy turned back and saw Petunia's eyes glazing over as she looked behind Percy. He grinned.

The houses were all duplicates of one another, and everything was in order. Percy didn't like it. He thought that it was too eerie though it was a bright and sunny day. Harry pointed an adjoining road. "That is Wisteria Walk. Mrs Figg's house is there. She has more than a dozen cats," he wrinkled his nose in distaste. "When I was small, Petunia and Vernon used to send me there for babysitting."

Percy, Annabeth and Nico laughed.

He turned, and pointed to another road. "That's Magnolia Crescent, and Magnolia Road also runs out from there. There's a park."

The four of them walked slowly towards the park. It was an understatement that Percy didn't like the place. He liked the noise and crowded nature of Manhattan. There was close to no-one in Privet Drive, and the four of them were the only people walking there.

"You remember this place?" Harry asked softly. "It was the place I was attacked by the Hydra… And you," he looked at Percy, "along with Grover and Thalia, saved me. My life practically changed from there," he sighed. "I can never be the same again."

Annabeth put her hand on his shoulder. "You need to learn how to put it behind you, Harry. We all did."

Harry nodded. "I hope I will be able to." He shook his head vigorously. "I need to stop thinking about this! Come on, we'll go to the park."

He started walking so fast that it was impossible to keep pace with him. There were at least _some_ people in Magnolia Road, watering their plants, cleaning their cars, and doing minor stuff like that. The park wasn't what Percy expected it to be. It was old, and looked a day away from completely falling down. There were a few benches, and one old, creepy lady was sitting on a bench. Percy's mind immediately went to the Fates, and his hand rested on Riptide.

"That's not a monster," Harry laughed. "It's Mrs Figg."

"Ha! There is a cat!" Nico pointed at a cat curled around her legs.

Harry walked up to her. "Hello, Mrs Figg. It's been a lot of time."

"Harry!" Mrs Figg smiled. "You have grown!"

"It's my birthday tomorrow," Harry replied. "I'm becoming fourteen."

"And who are your friends?"

Harry froze. "Who, Mrs – Mrs Figg?"

"This young lad," she got up, and held Percy's arm. "What's your name, young man? I have never seen you around here."

"I – I – My name is Percy. Percy Jackson."

"And both of you?" Mrs Figg looked at Annabeth and Nico.

Annabeth snapped her fingers worriedly. This was weird. Her mist-bending had worked fine… until now.

"Why are you snapping your fingers?" The old lady asked.

There was no way for her to escape. Excluding the snapping part, she answered the first question. "Annabeth, madam. Annabeth Chase."

Her hawk eyes landed on Nico, asking an unasked question.

He worriedly looked at Percy. He nodded. "Nico di Angelo."

"Why do you all have an American accent?" She was becoming suspicious rapidly.

"We _are_ from America, ma'am," said Percy politely. "We came for holiday."

"Ah." Suddenly, she let out an outburst. "Are you wizards? How are you near Harry?"

Harry froze for the second time that day. "Mrs – Mrs Figg – What? How do know about the Wizarding World? What?"

"I'm a squib! I should know about all these things!"

Harry tried to hide his amazement. "Are Percy, Annabeth and Nico's figures blurred? Or can you see them clearly?"

"Clear as day."

* * *

 **My mouth is shut about the Albus Dumbledore incident. Figure out by yourself what that means and send your thoughts by REVIEW or PM!**

 **Review answering -**

Guest chapter 16 . Dec 2

He just mouthed off to his patron goddess! Is he out of his mind! Show some respect, at least some thankfulness that she 'willingly' increased his power! Honestly, how rude!

 ** _I wrote him that way deliberately if you are thinking. He doesn't want more power cause it makes him feel even more... abnormal. All Harry ever wants is to be normal. Poor guy was almost blasted by Hecate, though._**

Guest chapter 14 . Dec 7

I love this chapter, keep up the good work.

 _ **Thanks!**_

Guest chapter 14 . Dec 8

Hello  
Your story is shit  
Good day

 _ **Ha. The one which I wanted to answer really desperately. Well, I expect three things from a negative review. 1. Politeness. 2. Stating**_ **_HOW_ _I am bad and which parts you didn't like. 3. Giving suggestions how I can make it better. That's what has the name 'CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM'._**

 ** _Seeing that NONE of these three parts was in your review, I would actually have reported it if you weren't a guest. At least if you did have ONE of the three parts I would have answered politely (and don't assume your 'hello' and 'good day' gets you any politeness points). All I can say is that you are a COWARD if you deliberately reviewed as a guest and you don't have the NERVE to review in such a flaming way with your original account. If you are a real guest, well, you still are an idiot, just simply going around and flaming stories._**

 ** _This is for all the people who have negative reviews - please, it hurts if you just give these kinds of flames. It hurts._**

...

 **Poll counts - 15 for Katie Bell, 9 for Hermione Granger and 5 for Parvati Patil.**

 **This poll will go on until the real Hogwarts arc starts.**

...

 **A. It's because Perseus is one of the only Greek heroes who gets a happy ending.**

 **Q. Who was Minerva McGonagall's muggle love?**

...

PassionBeautyFreedom


	16. Grace and Cavalleria

Chapter 16 – Grace and Cavalleria

"Mrs Figg, they just came for _holiday_ ," said Harry, emphasizing the last word.

"Which house do they live in?" Mrs Figg asked.

"They live in London. They came here, today, to visit me. I know them. I saw them the last time in Diagon Alley when I was picking up my books. They are from… Ilvermorny."

Mrs Figg gave a tiny nod. "I shall have to trust you, Harry, you know best."

"Good-bye, Mrs Figg."

Saying, the four of them ran.

Once they were safe from her and her hawk eyes in Privet Drive's yard, Percy sighed. "That was weird. Annabeth, you sure nothing is wrong with your mist?"

"I am!" Annabeth insisted. "I have never given so much energy for doing this, but she still saw us!"

Harry thought hard. That red-headed girl in Hoover Dam, and now Mrs Figg, who he had thought he knew. _'I am a squib, I should know these things!'_ That had a lot of hidden meanings. _Squib… Squib…_ Something was churning in his head. _Squib… Squib!_ "Aha!"

"What happened to you?" Nico raised an eyebrow.

"I just understood! Percy, you remember that girl at Hoover Dam? Rachel Elizabeth Dare? She's a squib! And so is Mrs Figg! That's why they saw the Mist!"

"Stop," said Annabeth. "What _is_ a squib?"

…

That was one thing even Nico wanted to know.

Harry, however, didn't seem to hear her. He looked deep in thought. Annabeth walked towards him, held him by his shoulders and shook him.

"Wha –?"

Nico gave a look at Percy, glad that he was taking the _moment_ between Harry and Annabeth well. Their faces were extremely close, Harry's confused look and Annabeth's glaring one.

"Oi! Tell me!"

"What should I –?"

"Tell me what is a squib!"

"A squib is someone who is born into a wizarding family but hasn't got any magic powers… Like Mrs Figg and… Rachel Elizabeth Dare. I am almost sure that Rachel is a squib. Her red hair is something that will never escape from my mind…" Harry trailed off.

Percy nudged Nico, gesturing at the look Annabeth had on her face.

"Come on, let's go back… It's not even one, though." Harry said, still looking distracted.

Annabeth snapped her fingers as Harry opened the door and led them in.

"Ha. Boy!" Vernon called Harry. He grumbled a "go into my room" before he walked into the living room to meet his uncle.

Percy, Annabeth and Nico went into Harry's room only to see mounds of owl poop.

"Eww, this stinks! Where's that owl?" Annabeth asked, and an owl (as though it understood what Annabeth had said) dropped into her hand. "Aww!"

It was hard to say that it was an owl because it looked more like a tiny baseball. It was a tiny Scops owl. Percy heard Harry come up the steps, laughing. As Harry opened the door, his eyes landed on the owl. "Where did that come from – oh, it's Ron's owl."

Harry took the little owl in his hands and took the letter from its claws. He opened it.

 _Harry — Why the bloody hell was you so vague in your last letter? What camp? I am literally DYING here to know. I mean, you are almost never like that towards me and Hermione. Anyway, happy advanced birthday to you! I'll also wish you tomorrow, anyhow, as you will be HERE tomorrow! DAD GOT THE TICKETS — Ireland versus Bulgaria, Monday night. Mum's writing to the Muggles to ask you to stay. They might already have the letter, I don't know how fast Muggle post is. Thought I'd send this with Pig anyway._

 _We're coming for you whether the Muggles like it or not, you can't miss the World Cup, only Mum and Dad reckon it's better if we pretend to ask their permission first. I have told mum about your friends that you mention, and we have also got tickets for them! Rejoice, rejoice! If they say yes, send Pig back with your answer pronto, and we'll come and get you at five o'clock tomorrow. If they say no, send Pig back pronto and we'll come and get you at five o'clock tomorrow anyway._

 _Hermione's arriving this afternoon. Percy's started work — the Department of International Magical Cooperation._

 _I'm looking forward to both seeing you and meeting your new friends –_

 _Ron_

Harry laughed. "Good old Ron."

"What World Cup is he talking about?" Nico asked.

"The Wizarding World sport is this game called Quidditch. It basically has four balls – A Quaffle, two Bludgers and a Golden Snitch. It is a game played on broomsticks –"

"What, they sweep the balls across the floor?" Percy asked.

"Shut up," Annabeth nudged him. "Do you have Alzheimer's? Don't you remember him mentioning it?"

Percy nodded sheepishly and Harry continued.

"In that game, there are seven people, two Beaters, three Chasers, one Keeper and one Seeker… well, that's enough. I'll explain to you later. When you _see_ the game, it will be easier to understand it. Just understand that I am the Seeker for my house, Gryffindor and you all will be coming with me to see the match."

"When will we be going?" Nico asked. "I am desperate to get the hell out of here."

"Don't think that I am not, Nico," Harry said dryly. "We'll go tomorrow, on my birthday."

Before Nico could reply, a huge tropical bird flew towards the window. Annabeth, who was nearest to the window, opened it as the bird flew in, and perched itself on Harry's arm. Harry removed the letter from its claw and petted it on the head. The bird nipped his finger and flew towards Hedwig's cage, and perched upon it. Hedwig poked her beak on the tropical bird's and it nipped back.

Harry grinned. "It looks like they are _kissing_."

"I know, right?" Annabeth's eyes were glued on the birds. "It's so cute."

Harry opened the scroll.

 _Harry,_

 _Sorry that these are weird birds, but getting a nice bird is impossible from where I am now. Anyway, to go to the most important thing. You said that the race of demigods exists till now (I was an avid reader of Greek Mythology when I was your age. Lily was too.) and you are not James and Lily's son, but Lily's and a_ freaking _god's son. At the same time, the most powerful god's son. When I first read it, I was inclined to believe that you were drunk on alcohol or something. Well, you have begged me to believe you, so I'll give you the benefit of doubt._

 _I seriously don't know whether you are saying that Lily slept with a god, deliberately, because I know that the Lily I knew would never do that to_ anyone _, let alone James, who she loved with all her heart. I'll need to know the powers you've got when I see you next, and I don't know when that will happen. Also, are you completely sure that the three demigods you have bought along with you are trustworthy?_

 _You don't have the privilege to trust anyone right now about these facts. You should not let anyone be too close to you, especially counting the fact that Voldemort might still have allies. The three people – Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase and Nico di Angelo – should be COMPLETELY okay. No doubts. Be safe, Harry, and always tell me if anything is bothering you._

 _Hear from you soon,_

 _Sirius_

Harry smiled. "I expected to get some fire over the James and Lily part. I can _legit_ sense the frustration with which he was writing that part of the letter."

"Any sane person would be like that," Annabeth nodded. "He seems like a good godfather."

"He's awesome," Harry smiled.

…

Percy was having a… weird dream, as far as he was concerned.

' _Ah!' I landed on the cold, marble floor after falling for almost an eternity. I didn't recognize the place. I was in a huge, well-lit hall which was illuminated by thousands of candles and lanterns._

 _Rubbing my head, I got up and looked around and started walking toward the raised part. As I reached the raised area, I looked back to get a clearer view of the whole hall. There were four vertical tables, all decorated in different colours – one with red and gold, other with blue and bronze, and the others decorated with silver and green, yellow and black respectively. I was confused. I couldn't remember being in such a place. At all._

" _You would do better to close your mouth when you are staring. Even we are as confused as you," a female voice said._

 _I turned quickly, stumbling. There were two people standing behind me, one a guy and the other a girl. The guy was extremely handsome, and put my looks to shame. He had the regal features of a god, close-cropped blonde hair and sky-blue eyes. He also had a little scar on his lip. He was athletically built and had tanned and muscled arms. He had a tattoo, indicating the letters SPQR with ten lines on it and an eagle._

 _The girl was really beautiful, with dark hair and just as dark eyes. It was done in a braid. Her eyes were extremely piercing as if to challenge me. She too had SPQR, with four lines and with a crossed sword and torch._

" _What – what – who are you? Wha –?"_

" _Enough," said the boy, smiling. "I got what you want to say, didn't I? I am Jason Grace, and this is my girlfriend Reyna_ _Cavalleria_ _."_

' _I'm Percy. Percy Jackson. What are you doing here? What is this place?"_

" _Even I don't know. It is not at all like my school, Ilvermorny."_

' _Is this a dream?'_

' _Seems so,' said Reyna, but her voice was dissolved by a yell._

 _Jason and Reyna's images started dissolving as the yell caused Percy to close his eyes._

"ARGH!" Percy's 'argh' was dissolved as someone else's 'argh' took over.

Harry gasped, sweating profusely as Annabeth and Nico held his arms. _Hey, they are not holding_ my _arms._ Nico obviously had a close relationship with Harry as Nico related with Harry a lot. Annabeth was… well… kinda… okay.

"I just – I just – had a _crazy_ dream!" Harry almost yelled.

"Coincidence, I had one too!" Percy exclaimed.

"Harry, share yours first," Nico told Harry.

"I – I just saw Voldemort killing someone and planning to kill me! It was a dim picture of a darkened room... A snake on a hearth rug... a man called Peter, nicknamed Wormtail... and a cold, high voice... the voice of Lord Voldemort. There was an old man too, but… who was he? I don't know. That's all I can tell." He looked at Percy. "Tell yours."

"I was in a big hall with different coloured tables –"

"Different colour tables?" Harry asked quickly, interrupting him.

"Red, gold, bronze, silver…"

Harry ran over to his desk and picked up a few colour pencils and a paper. He started drawing long lines, colouring…

"Was it like this?" The paper had long brown vertical lines, one coloured with red and gold, the other coloured with green and silver… The exact same way Percy had seen, with the exact same colour combinations.

"Yes! What is this?" Percy asked excitedly.

"It _is_ Hogwarts. You had just seen, and been in, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"There were two people too… a girl with dark hair, a guy with blonde… It's all vague. He mentioned _Ilverm_ _orny_ though. He also said that he had never been in Hogwarts before, that he was confused."

"Girl with dark hair, a guy with blonde… Have never heard of them."

"Yes!" Percy remembered one more fact. "They had SPQR tattoos on their arms, and the guy – _Jason –_ had ten lines on it while the girl – _Reyna_ – had four. That's all."

"I've never even heard of them…" Harry said, bewildered. "Were they students?"

"Seemed so. Didn't look old." Percy strained his brain, but couldn't remember anything more. Somehow, he couldn't shake the feeling that the word _Ilvermorny_ had a lot of importance…

* * *

 **Jason and Reyna come in! Leo, Piper, and Hazel won't be there, sorry [:(] I couldn't figure any way for them to come in. Think about why they both are there! (I am aware that I chose Reyna's last name from a random name generator.) Anyway, REVIEW!**

 **Review answering -**

Guest chapter 15 . Dec 8

Hello again asshole  
For your information, no I don't have a fanfiction account so I can review only as a guest.  
Ad for the content of my previous post' it was deliberate and it served to prove that YOU are a coward and an idiot. You see i always read the comments of those who reviewed before me, because english is not my first language and I am afraid of making mistakes, so if someone already pointed out thw poins i want to make I usually don't comment at all. The reason i did this time is because i noticed that you repeatedly ignored the multiple reviews that pointed out the errors and the potholes in your story, and only answered to those reviews that suited you.  
My review was a test to see if you how would have answered to a negative review that wa only a senseless flame and, as expected, you answered readily with scorn.  
So tell me Mr 2-bit shitty writer why didn't you answer the multiple and polite negative review that were posted well before mine? I'll tell you why because you are a coward and you can't defend your writing from constructive criticism in a constructive way so you can only answer to flames with flames.  
Again good day, fucker

 ** _Well, I am gonna be polite in my answer, so I'd prefer it if you are polite as well in your next review (if you are reviewing). So, you are a guest so it makes sense that you don't know much about fanfiction . net._**

 ** _The thing is, there is a feature in fanfiction . net (for people with accounts) which is called Private Messaging (abbreviated PM). With that feature, people with accounts can chat with each other without others reading their messages. When I was a wee starting author, I used to answer everyone's reviews this way, but then recognised it was a senseless waste of time and energy to answer them this way (and many p_** ** _eople_** ** _are not even interested in reading these answers, are they?) so I started PMing people with accounts (you know that little voice box on the edge of the reviews?) so that readers won't be seeing it, and answering guests the traditional way (that is this one)._**

 ** _I don't know what was the polite review you are mentioning (agnar's, or Aqua Lilly's). Both the previous reviews_ were _polite, I'll agree with you AND I have answered them via the great thing called PM because they were both people with accounts._**

 ** _PS - By the way, your test was really good. You got me completely in. And I'll also assume that you don't have any other problems with the story (did you even care to read it?). Don't think that you are the only one who can read reviews. If I really was ignoring the constructive criticisms, why do you think that your review is the first one I have received on the subject?_**

...

 **Poll counts - 18 for Katie Bell, 11 for Hermione Granger and 6 for Parvati Patil.**

...

 **A. Dougal McGregor (read from Pottermore! Minerva really has a sad backstory.)**

 **Q. What are the names of Bill and Fleur's children?**

...

PassionBeautyFreedom


	17. A Rock Dude

Chapter 17 - A Rock Dude

There was only one – _only one? I'm surprised._ – cloud on Harry's bright horizon. Ron was going to pick him up on that day, and he was going to go to the _Quidditch World Cup_!

Well, he didn't forget about the little cloud that was floating, you know.

Harry still had no clue what to make of the dream. He hadn't told Percy, Annabeth and Nico about the whole thing, but well, he could tell Dumbledore… or, he could tell Ron and Hermione! _No_ , a snide voice in the back of his head said. _Ron will get scared for no reason, and you know what Hermione will do – recommend Albus Dumbledore, Madam Pomfrey, and a bazillion books._ Harry nodded internally. _Well, Mr Snide, you are right._ But… he could call… Sirius! He had Dark Magic experience and was the perfect father figure for him (Cough, _Zeus_ , cough).

"Aha!" he said suddenly.

"Aha what?" Percy asked, who was packing all his clothes into a bag.

"I'll tell Sirius about my scar!"

"He just messaged you, Harry," said the voice of reason, Annabeth.

"He'll know what to do. I know that." Harry ran to his desk.

…

As Harry scribbled on the parchment, Annabeth turned back to bag into which she packed all of her clothes. She was _glad_ that Harry's friend and his parents were coming to get them out of Privet Drive, as she was _irritated_ with the house and its inhabitants.

At the same time, she felt lucky that she was able to keep her feelings about Harry at bay. _It's a crush_ , she told herself. _A simple, teenage crush. It will go. Having a boyfriend at this age is not the best thing, anyway. Just get a_ wee bit _older, and think about it. For now, chuck it._ She stole a glance at Harry, who was looking at the ceiling, deep in thought. She mentally shook her head and went back to packing.

"When did Ron say that he would come?" Percy asked Harry.

"Five eve," said Harry, who had started scribbling again.

"That's late," Nico groaned. "I am enough of eating all this crap like watermelons and grapefruits."

Instead of answering, Harry went and attached the letter to Hedwig's leg. She nipped his finger lovingly and flew off. Harry turned to Nico. "Man, the food that Mrs Weasley cooks is, _slurp_. It's legit the best food you can never imagine about beforehand."

"It can't be better than my mother's," argued Percy.

"Well, check it out," said Harry with a shrug.

"I definitely will," Percy answered with a smirk.

Harry rolled his eyes.

…

Percy and his friends kept horsing around in the room till 12 o' clock when they all finished packing. Harry looked extremely happy, and the smile on his face was so contagious that even Nico, Percy and Annabeth couldn't help smiling. Annabeth had found a book in Harry's bookshelf called _Firestarter_ by Stephen King. She had gone deep inside the book. Nico too, to Percy's surprise, had chosen a book called _The Shadow of the Torturer_ by Gene Wolfe (Percy had never heard about him).

Harry was lying on his bed, a huge book called _A History of Magic_ open in front of him. He was writing on a long piece of parchment and looked close to falling asleep.

Percy, defying his better judgement, almost walked over to Harry's bookshelf to select a good book for himself before he heard a yell.

"BOY!"

Chaos. The aftermath of that yell was utter chaos. Harry, with a screech, threw his quill (he had recently filled ink in it). It landed on Nico's book, and all the ink smeared across the page. He jerked and held on one of the legs of Annabeth's chair. She screamed, pushing the table, and the chair fell, right on Nico's arm. Percy was the only person to whom nothing had happened.

"Guys! Guys! Control!" Percy said quickly. "Har, Vernon's calling you."

Harry, who was still breathing heavily, turned to Percy. "I should know that, shouldn't I?" He jumped over Nico and ran down the stairs.

"What was Harry writing?" Annabeth asked, her eyes wide. "Why did he… just _screech_ like that?"

Percy peeped into Harry's essay. "About… well… vampires."

"He might not have liked that," Nico shrugged. " _I_ have a reason. I was bloody reading about torturing, for all of the gods' sake!"

"And I was on the word 'spider'," said Annabeth grimly. "Weird, that all of us were on parts that we don't like for the exact second that Vernon called Harry."

"That can be coincidence," Percy replied with a shrug.

…

At a quarter to five, Harry, Percy, Nico and Annabeth walked downstairs, with the mist in action.

"Uncle Vernon, just make note that I might not be there next holiday, the same way like what happened this time."

"All the more is better, boy," said Uncle Vernon, a smile plastered on his beefcake-face.

Uncle Vernon, Dudley and Aunt Petunia looked extremely tensed. Uncle Vernon had been downright alarmed when Harry informed him that many wizards would be arriving at five o' clock. Presently, Uncle Vernon had put on his best suit. Harry knew that he wanted to look impressive and intimidating. Dudley kept walking sideways from room to room so that he wouldn't present the same place to the enemy.

Uncle Vernon was looking at the newspaper, though his eyes weren't moving. Dudley was crammed in an armchair, his hands on his bottom. Harry kept his eyes on his watch, his heart pumping with excitement. Needless to say, he was sure that Nico, Annabeth and Percy felt the same. The three of them stood up quietly, and Percy mouthed, 'ADHD. Can't stay still,' before walked out after them. Harry kept his cool and waited.

Five o' clock.

Ten past five.

Quarter past five.

"They're late!" Uncle Vernon snarled, breaking his quiet talk with Aunt Petunia. Harry, beginning to feel ADHD himself, quickly said, "Maybe the traffic's bad," before running out of the room with nervousness.

Uncle Vernon called after him, "Their kind don't set much store by punctuality, do they? What car do they drive? A tin-pot – AAAAAAARRRRRGH!"

Percy quickly turned to Harry. "Let's go and check?"

…

Before Percy could take a step forward, however, Dudley ran out of the room, hands clamped on his bottom. He looked frightened out of his wits. Sounds could be heard from the living room, of the Dursleys scrambling around and muffled yelling.

Loud bangings and scrapings were coming from behind the Dursleys' boarded-up fireplace, which had a fake coal fire plugged in front of it.

"What is it, Vernon?" Aunt Petunia gasped.

She didn't have to wait. Voices could be heard from inside the blocked fireplace. "Ouch! Fred, no — go back, go back, there's been some kind of mistake — tell George not to — OUCH! George, no, there's no room, go back quickly and tell Ron —"

"Maybe Harry can hear us, Dad — maybe he'll be able to let us out —"

There was a loud hammering of fists on the boards behind the electric fire.

"Harry? Harry, can you hear us?"

Vernon turned to Harry with a scowl. "BOY! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?"

"They — they've tried to get here by Floo powder," said Harry, who looked like he was fighting a desire to laugh. "They can travel by fire — only you've blocked the fireplace — hang on —" He approached the fireplace and called through the boards. "Mr Weasley? Can you hear me? Mr Weasley, it's Harry… the fireplace has been blocked up. You won't be able to get through there."

"Damn!" said a male voice. _Mr Weasley's_. "What on earth did they want to block up the fireplace for?"

"They've got an electric fire," Harry explained.

"Really?" said Mr Weasley's voice excitedly. "Eclectic, you say? With a plug? Gracious, I must see that… Let's think… ouch, Ron!"

 _Ron Weasley._ Harry's best friend."What are we doing here? Has something gone wrong?"

"Boys, boys…" said Mr Weasley vaguely. "I'm trying to think what to do… Yes… only way… Stand back, Harry." Harry retreated to the sofa. Vernon did the opposite, though.

"Wait a moment!" he yelled at the fire. "What exactly are you going to —"

BANG.

The electric fire shot across the room as the boarded-up fireplace burst outward, expelling a middle-aged man, with three teenage boys, all with flaming red hair. _Mr Weasley, Ron Weasley, and…_ Petunia shrieked and fell backwards over the coffee table; Vernon caught her before she hit the floor, and gaped, speechless, at the Weasleys.

Harry turned to Percy quickly. "Pass to Nico and Annabeth too – for going, step into the fireplace and clearly say 'the Burrow', okay? I'll cover up. Take your stuff along with you. Go one by one, preferably you first, Annabeth, and then Nico. Best of luck. The mist doesn't need to work there, you'll be fine. Can't speak to you anymore, here."

Percy looked at the fireplace, which _had_ afire in it. He nudged Harry. "How are we supposed to –?"

"My trunk's upstairs," Harry said loudly to Mr Weasley. Out of the corner of his mouth, he said, "Don't be scared, that fire can't hurt you. Keep that in mind."

Percy gave a covert nod. He turned to Annabeth. "Harry passed the message. One by one, all of us should step into the fireplace and say 'the Burrow' loudly and clearly. That fire can't hurt us. Take your stuff along. I'll go first, then you, Annabeth, then Nico. Pass it to him." Saying, Percy grabbed his backpack and went near the fire. He took a deep breath and walked into the fire. He felt a tickling sensation, extremely far from what he had expected. Feeling braver, he looked at Annabeth and Nico. Nodding at them, he said (as clearly as possible) "The Burrow!"

The next moment, Percy had begun to spin very fast, and the Dursleys' living room was whipped out of sight in a rush of emerald-green flames. It felt as though he were being sucked down a tornado. He seemed to be spinning very fast — the roaring in his ears was deafening — he tried to keep his eyes open but the whirl of green flames made him feel sick — something hard knocked his elbow and he tucked it in tightly, still spinning and spinning — now it felt as though cold hands were slapping his face — he wished it would stop –

Percy instinctively threw his hands out as he fell forward. He could feel the stares of many people on him. As he looked up, the first thing he registered was that four people were pointing their _wands_ at him. Before he could do or say anything, he felt Annabeth collide with him and he fell forward.

"Who in _Merlin_ 's name are you?" One red-headed dude asked. He was tall, with long hair that he had tied back in a ponytail. He was wearing an earring with what looked like a fang dangling from it. He looked like he was ready for a rock concert.

Percy threw his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "I am Percy Jackson, this is my friend Annabeth – move, Annabeth!" He suddenly got a spark of knowledge and pushed her away from the fireplace, and like Percy had a sixth sense, Nico di Angelo rolled out of the fireplace, hitting his head on the ground.

"Ow."

"Yeah, that girl is Annabeth Chase, and this guy," he pointed at Nico (who looked like he was kissing the floor), "is Nico di Angelo."

"Why do you have an American accent? And _why_ did you come instead of Harry? You can't _all_ have come to the wrong place," one of the two girls, a one with brown, bushy hair, brown eyes and little large front teeth, said. "But – but – OH!"

All the redheads looked at her. "Harry mentioned that some people were coming with him – oh, it must be you all!"

"You are?" Annabeth asked, looking at the girl who had spoken.

"Hermione, Hermione Granger."

"And can you all introduce yourselves? Cause we don't know you."

"Bill Weasley," the rock dude said, waving.

"Charlie Weasley," the guy next to him waved. He was short and stocky. His face was weather-beaten and freckly, and one of his arms had a burn on it.

"Ginny Weasley," the red-headed girl smiled (or rather, blushed). She was very pretty; with long red hair and freckly complexion.

"Harry will be here soon," Nico said, gesturing to the fireplace.

"Take seats," said Bill, gesturing that Percy sat next to him.

* * *

 **I've decided to stop my starting AN, cause it is irritating for both the writer and the reader. BTW, I know I missed Friday and that I am giving you this chapter really late. But, well, I had a lot of work, and... okay, now I am just making excuses. I had actually planned on uploading this chapter yesterday, but, Christmas, you know. So anyway, REVIEW!**

 **Review answering:**

Guest chapter 16 . Dec 14

Hello  
Politeness for politeness, I agree. First of all I only review to the stories that I read (and only negatively to those that have a lot of potential but glaring plotholes, like yours, because the wasted potential in those stories make me really mad)  
Ok let's say I believe that you answered the constructive reviews, and I meant the reviews from agnar, emeraldguardian7 and atomsplash, with PMs (I do know about that function by the way) even though I have no way to check if you really did. But i l agree with you that if you had ignored them they probably would have commented about that, my bad. Still seeing as I don't have an account, I woul like to read your answer to the points made in those reviews in the more "old fashioned" way.  
Good day

 _ **Heyo again. Well, I'll just copy-paste my answers here.**_

 **Agnar (one of my most detailed answers) -** I know that you have a lot of doubts with the story, so let me just clarify them.

1\. How didn't they see his face clearly before?  
A. Well, I didn't mean that literally. It was just an implication that they didn't have time to look at Harry's face because of the way that he was resisting.  
2\. How can the Airport Officials not notice that they are carrying a tied up teen with them?  
A. The mist. It hides what things are really are from the mortals. Thalia bent the mist so that they are able to get Harry into the plane. And it would be safe to say that all the officials are mortal/muggle, right?  
3\. How did they have time to do this?  
A. Actually, they didn't. Artemis was captured the whole time, but well, Harry is a part of the quest and they needed him for fulfilling the prophecy. That wouldn't happen if he was eaten by the Hydra, would it? They didn't have time, but they needed Harry.  
4\. How did they notice Harry in Britain?  
A. Harry is a son of Zeus, who is incidentally the most powerful god out there. No one knew that he even existed. A monster was behind him, and there is a 'scent', isn't there? How did Grover find out that Bianca and Nico were demigods, and befriend them? Because of that same 'scent'. And well, Harry is also an abnormally powerful demigod at that.

I hope all of them are done, and thanks for reading the story!

 **EmeraldGuardian7 (well, I was** **kinda defensive) -** Looong review. Thanks for that. Even I think that I'm fast, cause I've finished almost all of Titan's Curse in what, 10k? As for original conversations, I didn't understand. Aren't the conversations original enough (cause I would talk like that)?

Did you understand whose point-of-view this story is written in? The line breaks (...) finish one person's point of view. The first person whose name is written is the person in whose point-of-view the part is written until the next line break.

Thanks for reviewing, anyway, and PM me if you have any more suggestions.

 **AtomSplash (I am really ashamed of what I wrote, and when other reviewer pointed it out, I felt it myself and changed it) -** That's a plot hole... (hehe) There was no Nico to Shadow-Travel them and the only way was by plane. They were practically kidnapping Harry, and if Harry kept on storming and raging, the airport staff might have asked some questions :) Thanks for reviewing!

Davos chapter 16 . Dec 14

Great chapter, I can't wait to read more of this story

ps don't let the haters get to you.

 _ **Thanks, I won't!**_

Guest chapter 16 . Dec 16

Yeah great so far only complaint is the paragraphs of response you give in your ANs...but it's reasonable when the story is the same length as it. Anyhow regardless of how you respond keep writing love your story.

 _ **Well, sorry if you got a cardiac arrest when you read this response list!**_

Somebody chapter 1 . Dec 22

I love your story! I really do, it's so unique. Not to mention, Harry x Annabeth is very hard to find, it's almost non-existent, unless it's lemon, but I hate lemon. I don't mind dirty jokes, but not the real thing. I'd just like to know, how often do you update?

 _ **Weekly, every Friday (well, this one's late, sorry). Even I felt the number of Harry/Annabeth fics were really less, so that's why this fic's that. Also, my slash writing ability is also stupid, so yeah.**_

...

 **Poll counts - 19 for Katie Bell, 14 for Hermione Granger, and 6 for Parvati Patil.**

 **Anyway, I am stopping this poll, cause I'll need to figure out Katie (she needs development). So, it will be PERCY/KATIE!**

...

 **I'm stopping these questions. They are dumb.**

...

PassionBeautyFreedom


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